PN proposes amendment to gender identity law’s ‘adoption’ oversight

Shadow minister for justice Jason Azzopardi has announced he will propose amendments to the Gender Identity Act, after reports in The Times revealed that transgender people adopted as children, were unable to legally change their sex.

“Under the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act introduced last month, transgender people are entitled to change their birth certificates and identification documents through a simple notarial deed without undergoing gender reassignment surgery or receiving a medical diagnosis,” the newspaper reported.

“However, Alex Mangion, who became Malta’s first ever transgender elected official when he was elected to the Attard local council last month, told Times of Malta that he was currently being prevented from amending his documents.”

Nationalist local councillor Mangion was adopted from Romania when he was one, and approached a notary to begin the process soon after the law was passed, but was initially told he had to wait.

“As the law stands, it does not apply to adopted people, so the ambiguous situation has been created where a person adopted and brought to Malta cannot have their sex change recognised,” Azzopardi said.