Stigma surrounding intersex still an issue

The stigma surrounding intersex people, and the shame they feel are still present in Malta, Tony Briffa from the ILGA World Intersex Committee said yesterday.

The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIGESC) unit within the Human Rights and Integration Directorate hosted its first annual conference titled: “Towards 100%: Advancing LGBTIQ equality nationally and globally.”

The keynote speech was delivered by Tony Briffa, from the ILGA World Intersex Committee. Briffa said that as an Intersex Maltese person, “I am proud that Malta leads the way in protecting infants and children born with biological variations of sex characteristics.”

Briffa said that the amount of abuse experienced by intersex children and infants around the world is disgraceful, and is born out of a desire to convert intersex children into stereotypical males or females. Thankfully, he said, Malta had legislated against these problems. Briffa said its ok to be biologically different. He said that in some countries, intersex children are considered to be cursed, and that the infanticide of children born with biological variations is real.

Briffa said that doctors in certain parts of the world still castrate children and try to justify hormone interventions on baby boys with certain intersex characteristics. Malta, he said, had legislated against medical interventions against intersex children. Most intersex people, he said, are straight, but are rightfully part of the LGBTIQ community as they struggle with the stereotype of what it means to be male or female.

“When i was born, doctors identified that I had an intersex variation and I underwent a number of surgeries, including being castrated as a young child and given hormone treatment.

It is the repeated abusive and invasive examinations that I had every three months, being treated like a research subject. These are things that thankfully Malta legislated against intersex children being put through.”

Briffa spoke on the impact on relationships between parents, children and siblings.

“They struggle with this guilt, and I tell them it’s not their fault. It’s not their fault that doctors put me through procedures as a child. Even the doctors I had when I was a child, I am sure they thought they were doing the right thing, so I have no ill-feeling towards them.”

After 49-years, we should know a lot better, but it still happens in other countries today, and many think that the treatment intervention abuse is something that happened in the 70s, but still happens in other countries today.

Conservative estimates of intersex population show that we are around 1.7% of the population, he said. “So if we look at the population living in Malta, we would have around 8,000 intersex people living in Malta. Where are they? They’re everywhere but we blend into society, not telling people that they are intersex. Are they happy and how to we engage with them? While not everyone born intersex feel the need to be out in public, most do not disclose this because a profound sense of shame and stigma. I know Maltese people coming to Australia contacting me when they come over to talk and make me promise not to tell anyone. The shame and stigma is real.

“As intersex people we are often misunderstood. When we come out, people think that the person is not really male or female.”

There is also a lot of confusion as to what intersex is. Most intersex people are men or woman, and are happy with the way we were raised. “For most of us you wouldn’t tell that there is anything different. There are many different variation. You could have a man with 47 xy chromosomes and their bodies do not look difference, only finding out when they are trying to have a baby with their partner.”

A year marked by success - Zammit Lewis

Equality Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that this past year was one marked by success, while the government is aware that a lot needs to be done from an implementation point of view.

“We achieved a lot in the education and health sectors, and also with the police in terms of aggressively addressing hate speech and hate crimes.”

He said that changes in laws will not automatically change the mindset in mentality, and the challenge is to form a new mentality that needs to be engrained at grass roots level in society. He spoke about investing in training in the health and education sectors, look to finalist and disseminate sexuality and gender guidelines for the public service, among other things.

The minister mentioned two bills currently before Parliament, which will give strength when promoting equality, and more power to combat discrimination, racism, hate speech and social inequality.

Over the past months, he said, he followed the Women’s Consultative Council to draw up a strategy which will, among other things, address the gender pay gap.

“Diversity needs to be viewed as our strength, and not as a weakness of our nation. Equality will remain our priority.”

He said that “through wide consultation, persuasion and the ability to take decisions, we will arrive at equality for everyone.”

The minister spoke of projects in the pipeline such as the integration policy. He said the economy is doing well with many people from different countries coming to the island, and stressed the need to take integration more seriously. He spoke of the creation of a new entity for equality.

“We also want to launch a national debate and change the mentality in the country. Laws are the first step, but from laws we not need to move on to changing the mentality.”

Annual report

Head of the SOGIGESC unit Gabi Calleja delivered a presentation on the annual report of the strategy. She said that the first LGBTIQ Action Plan was launched in 2015 and in 2018, the SOGIGESC Unit was set up and the second action plan strategy was launched.

As a unit they monitor the various measures’ implementation of the strategy, she said.

The strategy is divided into a number of measures under ten themes, including education, health, equality and freedom from discrimination, asylum and others.

Speaking about some of the measures, she highlighted that there has been the first reading of the Equality Act and the Human Rights and Equality Commission Act in Parliament, which will cover a broader range of minority groups and set up an independent equality commission responsible to Parliament.

She said that her unit worked on the sex, sexuality and gender guidelines aimed at providing guidance to the public sector on how to address issues of sexuality and gender.

She said that there has been a review of the blood donation criteria for men who have sex with men. At the moment it has a oneyear deferral, and she said that the unit hopes this will improve as time goes on.

Calleja said that the unit has worked to amend the IVF leave provisions to change the Embryo Protection Act, proposals which were adopted last year.

In addition, she said that gender neutral uniforms for the police are at final stage.

Last year also saw the opening of the Gender Wellbeing Clinic, she said, and stressed that work is ongoing on HIV prevention, testing and treatment. She mentioned that they are awaiting the adjudication of a tender regarding HIV treatment.

Turning to sports, Calleja said that the unit is working with the Malta Football Association, and highlighted the launch of the ‘everyone’s game’ campaign, to raise the visibility of LGBTIQ inclusion in football.

She noted that Malta saw a rise in same-sex couple adoptions, mainly from Portugal, and said that the unit is looking into expanding the number of countries from which same-sex adoptions can take place.

“We worked with the Home Affairs Ministry to expand the grounds for asylum protection to sex characteristics,” she said.