World’s Most Progressive Gender Identity Law Passes In Europe

The Mediterranean country of Malta adopted the world’s most progressive gender identity law on Wednesday in a final vote by the country’s parliament on Wednesday. The law is the latest in a series of LGBT rights laws ushered in by the Labour Party after taking power in 2013, a dramatic about-face for the country which has a constitution establishing Catholicism as the official religion. [ … ] The law — which goes beyond those its fellow European Union members have passed — would allow for someone to change their legal gender through simply filing an affidavit with a notary without a significant waiting period, eliminates any requirement for medical gender reassignment procedures, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. It now heads to the desk of President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, and LGBT rights advocates expect her to sign. It also includes some groundbreaking provisions for minors and intersex babies [ … ]  But the Maltese law prohibits “non-medically necessary treatments on the sex characteristics of a person” without informed consent and also allows parents to postpone entering a gender marker on a child’s birth certificate. [ … ]  The Maltese archdiocese has not issued any press statements about the bill since then [ … ]

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Gender Identity Bill approved unanimously ( PDF )

The Law
Social Dialogue of Malta – The law enacted
Social Dialogue of Malta – The evolution of the law