TGEU Statement 15 April 2014 Malta: Douze Points! First Constitution in Europe to Name Gender Identity On April 14, the Maltese Parliament voted unanimously for gender identity to be included as a protected ground into the Constitution. It is thus the first country in Europe to have gender identity anchored in its highest legal text. The parliament also introduced civil unions giving same-sex and different-sex couples nearly the same rights as married couples. Transgender persons who have changed their legal gender are now also able to enter into a marriage. “These are fantastic news! It has been a long way for Malta, and we congratulate the activists who have fought over all the years for the recognition and protection of transgender people.” comments TGEU Executive Director Julia Ehrt “It is a signal also for other countries to uplift transgender identities out of the shadows of prejudice and misconception and say loud and clear: we stand proudly by our transgender population.” says Richard Köhler, TGEU Policy Officer: “We need more trans champions like Malta!” The parliamentarians also strengthened the anti-discrimination law to better protect transgender persons against discrimination. A proposal for gender recognition procedures is currently under preparation, which, according to Maltese activists, will be modeled after the Argentinean Gender Identity Act. ”We urge the Maltese law-makers now to live up to the high expectations and come up with the best law possible. Transgender persons who have been so long the odd ones out deserve quick, transparent and accessible procedures to have their identities recognized.” comments Köhler. ENDS Transgender Europe is a European human rights NGO working for the human rights and equality of all trans people. More Information: www.tgeu.org Transgender or Trans is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity or expression differs from the sex assigned to them at birth. Legal Gender Recognition is the process of changing the name and gendered information on official key documents and in registries, in order to recognize a person's gender identity. Source