MGRM: Handing out copies of the Gender Bill to Members of Parliament

PRESS RELEASE: MALTA GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 10.1.2011
A COPY OF A PROPOSED GENDER IDENTITY BILL FOR MALTA HANDED OUT TO MP'S
Gabi Calleja, MGRM

On Monday 10th January representatives of the Malta Gay Rights Movment were present outside parliament to distribute copies of the Proposed Gender Identity Bill for Malta to Members of Parliament as they arrived for the evening's parliamentary session. Copies off the Bill were handed to around 20 MP's including several members of the Cabinet. The Bill, which was tabled in parliament by MP Evarist Bartolo on the 10th of December as a Private Members Bill, seeks to address shortcomings in the current legislation with regards to the rights of transgender persons that better protects their rights and dignity.

The Bill is based on the principle that the right to self-determination includes the right of a person to determine his or her own gender identity. This right should not be usurped by third parties such as doctors, judges, psychologists, politicians or government officials.

The current judicial process places significant financial burdens on trans persons who are also required to cover the costs incurred by the Director of Public Registry. The judicial process also generally involves the appointment of a court expert to conduct invasive medical examinations to ascertain that irreversible gender reassignment surgery has been undertaken. The requirement that a trans person undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to change their legal sex is in itself problematic particularly when this procedure is not available under the national health service. The state imposition of such treatment in order to effect a legal change in sex is considered to constitute an unnecessary invasion of private life and goes against the dignity of the person particularly when the intervention involves considerable health risks, financial costs and also leads to permanent sterilisation. The legal scope of a change in sex is also in question as evidenced by the current constitutional court case involving Joanne Cassar's right to marry.

The proposed Gender Identity Act seeks to overcome these barriers by changing the judicial process to a purely administrative one and by removing the requisite for gender reassignment surgery. The proposal suggests the setting up of a secret Register for Transgender Persons modeled on the Register for Adopted Persons, a system already available under Maltese law.


STQARRIJA GHALL-ISTAMPA: MALTA GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
KOPJA TAL-PROPOSTA TA' L-ATT DWAR L-IDENTITÀ TAL-ĠENERU MQASSMA LIL MEMBRI PARLAMENTARI

Nhar it-Tnejn, 10 ta' Jannar, rapreżentanti tal Malta Gay Rights Movement kienu preżenti barra l-parlament biex iqassmu kopji tal-Proposta għall-Att dwar l-Identita’ tal-Ġeneru għall-Malta lil membri parlamentari hekk kif kienu qed jaslu għas-seduta ta' fil-għaxija. Kopji tal-proposta ta' liġi ingħataw lil madwar 20 MP fosthom diversi membri tal-Kabinet. Il-proposta ta' Liġi, li ġiet mressqa fil-parlament minn l-Hon Evarist Bartolo fl-10 ta' Diċembru bħala Private Members Bill, tfittex li tindirizz n-nuqassijiet tal-liġi preżenti fir-rigward ta' persuni trans b'mod li tipproteġi aħjar id-drittijiet u dinjita' tagħhom bħala persuni.

L-abbozz ta' liġi huwa bbażat fuq il-prinċipju illi d-dritt għal awto-determinazzjoni jinkludi d-dritt li persuna tistabilixxi il-ġeneru tagħha. Dan id-dritt m'għandux jgħaddi għand terzi persuni bħal tobba, imħallfin, psikologi, politiċi jew uffiċjali tal-istat.

Il-proċess ġudizjarju kurrenti jinvolvi numru ta' spejjeż li jridu jinġarru mill-persuna trans li huma wkoll obligati li jħallsu għall-ispejjeż tad-Direttur tar-Reġistru Pubbliku. Il-proċess ġudizzjarju ġeneralment jinkludi wkoll perit imqabbad mill-qorti biex jagħmel bosta testijiet fuq il-persuns biex jissigura li l-persuna għaddiet minn intervent kirurġiku irriversibli għat-tibdil tas-sess, testijiet li f’ħafna każijiet ikunu intrusivi u joffendu d-dinjita’ tal-persuna. Ir-rekwiżit li persuna trans tkun għamlet l-intervent kirurġiku huwa fih innifsu problematku speċjalment meta din il-proċedura mhijiex aċċessibli taħt l-iskema nazzjonali tas-sigurta’ soċjali. L-imposizzjoni minn stat ta’ intervent bħal dan biex persuna tkun tista’ tibdel l-annotazzjoni dwar is-sess tagħha huwa meqjus bħala indħil żejjed u mhux neċessarju fil-ħajja privata ta persuna u jimponi fuq id-dinjita’ tagħha, speċjalment meta l-intervent kirurġiku jinvolvi riskji lill-ħajja tal-persuna, piż finanzjarju u jwassal għall-isteriliazzjoni tal-persuna. Il-valur legali ta’ l-annotazzjoni fuq l-att tat-twelid ukoll mhux ċert kif indikat mill-każ ta’ Joanne Cassar li hemm preżentement fil-qorti u dritt tagħha li tiżżewweġ raġel.

Il-proposta għall-Att dwar l-Identita’ tal-Generu tipprova tegħleb dawn il-problemi billi tibdel il-proċess ġudizzjarju ma wieħed amministrattiv u billi tneħħi r-rekwiżit li persuna tgħaddi mill-intervent kirurġiku għat-tibdil tas-sess. Il-Proposta tipproponi t-twaqqif ta’ Reġistru ta’ Persuni Transġeneri, li jkun sigriet fuq l-istess linji tar-Reġistru tal-Persuni Adottati, sistema li diġa’ teżisti fil-liġi maltija.