Non-binary individuals in Malta will now have the right to change the gender registered at their birth.
This means that every Maltese citizen can request to alter their registered gender to female, male, or non-binary, and, if desired, change their name to match their chosen gender identity.
This development follows the granting of similar rights to transgender individuals in 2018.
The amendments to the Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics Act have been submitted to Parliament for a second reading. Non-binary gender refers to those who do not identify strictly as male or female. Individuals aged 16 and over can change their gender without parental consent.
In 2017, Identity Malta adjusted its internal systems to include the ‘X’ gender option on its documents. If the proposed amendments are approved, the Act will specify that for non-binary individuals, the gender identifier on any official document will be ‘X’. Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttiġieġ proposed the amendment. Nationalist MP Graziella Attard Previ highlighted that current Maltese laws benefit only Maltese citizens and exclude foreign LGBTIQ+ individuals, which she deemed discriminatory.
She called for consistency and inclusivity for non-Maltese LGBTIQ+ individuals to prevent further marginalisation.
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