The Prime Minister of Malta promises free surgery for gender affirmation
Last weekend, the Prime Minister of Malta promised to add free gender affirmation surgery to the island nation’s national health care plan.
The occasion was Pride Week and the annual Malta March in the capital Valletta, where Prime Minister Robert Abela led and mingled with around 12,000 participants in the narrow and bustling streets of the old town.
Last Sunday, Abela, leader of the country’s Labor Party, told ONE Radio: “I believe that social reform gives its identity to the Labor Party. My presence yesterday, as well as that of the ministers and Members of Parliament, symbolizes the messages that in general we have done a lot, there is still more to come. While we are proud of what we have done, more needs to be done.”
To commemorate Pride Week, the government lifted the long-standing ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Adding free gender-affirming care to the nation’s health care program is next.
“They will be placed on the national health service, which means that the state will finance the procedure,” said Abela.
The island city-state, located in the Mediterranean about halfway between Sicily and Tunisia, joined the European Union in 2004, the same year as the country’s first Pride march. It has become a popular tourist destination for gays, consistently ranking first in the ‘Rainbow Europe’ chart. Civil unions were introduced in 2014, followed by gay marriage three years later. In 2016, gay conversion therapy was banned in Malta.
Abela compared this year’s march with the first Pride of Malta in 2004.
“Only between 75 and 100 people attended the first Malta Pride March and this remained consistent for a number of years. Back then, it was a protest against a number of issues that the government of the time had swept under the carpet, but now it’s a celebration of the progress of civil rights.”
Abela said that the government will also adopt a five-year strategy for the LGBTQ community and establish a “one-stop shop” to centralize public and social services. The government’s official Twitter page currently displays a Progress Flag for its photo.
On Monday, Abela posted a video on Facebook commemorating his march with the constituents on Saturday.