The implementation and accommodation of LGBTQ+ laws within the Maltese cultural context : activists’ perspectives

Abstract

This study analyses the implementation and accommodation of LGBTQ+ laws in Malta, the lived experience of individuals forming part of such a community, and their interpretations of the wider Maltese LGBTQ+ context. Malta’s hosting of EuroPride Valletta 2023 is utilised as an example of the materialisation of equality in the country, garnering insights as to interviewees’ interpretations of the event as a whole, as well as an evaluation of their experiences participating in its organisational aspects. Utilising a qualitative framework and an ontological-interpretive approach, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with LGBTQ+ individuals and activists, most of whom volunteer at NGOs active within such areas. Findings related to participants’ lived experiences in Malta somewhat align with the country’s acquired international reputation as having become the ‘gold standard’ and ‘a beacon of hope’ with regard to LGBTQ+ reforms (Radcliffe in Martin, 2017), with interviewees citing a great sense of safety and the change in cultural perceptions of LGBTQ+ matters as having warranted such designation. Despite this, participants argue of issues in implementing certain laws, notably those relating to hate crime and hate speech, alongside encumbrances in enabling the full integration of LGBTQ+ individuals and matters within the Maltese cultural context. Specific issues highlighted in this regard relate to those forming part of the community peripheries due to the intersectionality of identity, as well as the importance of greater awareness and understanding of such issues in enabling the aforementioned integration.