The transgender candidates contesting the next general election

In a predominantly Catholic island, the strides Malta has made in LGBT-friendly laws have truly changed the face of the country over the past 10 years. This is primarily reflected through the island’s laws – in 2015, the practice of conversation therapy was ruled illegal, with those who still practice facing significant fines and even a potential five-month jail term.

Under Maltese law, neither sexual orientation nor gender identification can be classified as a disease, disorder or shortcoming of any sort. Additionally, the age at which people can independently request for their gender to be changed in official documents was changed to 16.  Then in 2017, Malta went one step further and legalised same-sex marriage. The country’s IVF laws also reflect this notion of equality, giving same-sex couples the ability to access IVF.

These are bold moves for a predominantly Catholic country that only began allowing divorce in 2011 and is the only member of the European Union that still considers abortion to be criminal office.

Nevertheless, Malta is ranked number one in the ILGA-Europe ranking of all 49 countries in Europe on their respect for gay rights and equality. However, how does this translate when running for politics?

While Malta has put forward LBGT candidates, it has only elected a handful of people such as Cyrus Engerer to posts such as MEP. Notably, Malta has yet to elect a transgender or non-binary person to office.

Kassandra Mallia (she/her)

Kassandra Mallia is a candidate for the pan-European party Volt, who will be contesting in the next general election.

Mallia said that while she always wanted to get into politics, she only recently reached a place in her life where she felt comfortable stepping forward. “I’ve realised that to tackle the problems Malta faces, I have to step up and be part of that change and not just sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to do something for me.”

Mallia said her party choice came down to the fact that she doesn’t have a high level of trust in either of the island’s two leading parties: Labour or Nationalist. “We need something far better than choosing between the better of two marginally identical parties. That’s why I chose Volt.”

Mallia will be running in districts 9 and 11. A Mosta native, she said that one of the things that spurred her to get into politics was the wish to help the locality she grew up in and that her parents have lived in since the 1980s.

Being a transgender candidate, Mallia faces unique problems that her counterparts do not. However, the candidate said that the best way to approach people on the issue of gender and sexuality is to understand the confusion and seek to educate where possible.

“A lot of people have always approached presentation and gender as being aligned. So I understand that there is a big information gap. On my own journey, this is something that I myself had to learn about as well,” she said.

Nonetheless, Mallia said that her policies and what she stands for should be at the forefront – while also being open to discussions on pronouns and gender when the conversation is brought up. “My policies and my personal identity are separate, though; that’s how I look at it.”

Discussing the sometimes-toxic environment online, Mallia says she tries not to worry about those who choose not to understand. “It doesn’t scare me; I get that they’re either purposely trying to avoid solving issues or that they have a severe lack of information and understanding. And that’s something I pity, rather than would be angry about.”

Alex Mangion (he/him)

Alex Mangion is a candidate for the Nationalist Party and the deputy mayor of Attard. He will be contesting the 11th district, which he concedes will be difficult as there is stiff competition.

On running as a transgender candidate, Mangion said that he never felt it was an issue, despite being part of what many consider a conservative party. He noted that more often than not, people are willing to understand, learn and listen.

Mangion said that having been in the political sphere since 2015, he has met many different people around Malta and never felt unwelcome. Even within his own party, Mangion said that while he has had to explain certain things to a few people, he has never been shut out of the conversation or told to “get lost.”

When asked about how he tackles people who may not understand, he said he always starts by explaining his point of view and experience. “Through explaining where I’m coming from, I can help people see that there’s more that unites us than what makes us different,” he said.

The candidate said that he didn’t feel like there was a barrier between him and party members. “They are far more accepting than people think they are. It’s a misconception that they aren’t.”

Mina Jack Tolu (they/them)

Mina Jack Tolu is a trans-feminist activist and candidate for ADPD, the Green Party. They will be contesting in districts 9 and 10.

Tolu said they have a close connection with these districts, having grown up in Pembroke. “It’s where I call home; my mother grew up in Paceville back when there was still a community – that’s actually where my parents met,” Tolu said.

Tolu will be contesting with ADPD for the first time after AD and PD merged together in 2020. They previously were a candidate for the European elections in 2019.

Tolu said that, if anything, the party has been stronger since the merger, adding that there was a renewed sense of energy within for all those involved. “We have a lot of strong voices from people like myself and Sandra Gauci who focus more on social issues, to others within the party who champion for classical green values. Like most parties, ADPD is a broad spectrum.”

As a member of the LGBT community, Tolu said they were delighted to see more members getting involved in politics. “One thing I want to get across is that we belong in politics, and always have – myself, I’ve never worried about the exposure politics brings because I’ve been visible my whole life; because of my appearance, I don’t blend, and even before I got into politics, I was active championing for LGBT rights, and I have to say the feedback I’ve gotten is mostly positive,” they said.

In fact, Tolu said some of the worst experiences they have gone through had more to do with how visible they were during the spring hunting referendum than when they talk about LGBT rights. Tolu said they even had received violent threats, including rape threats.

When handling people who may not understand or not wish to understand, Tolu said that they choose which path they take depending on who they are talking to. “I expect more from politicians and the media than I do when I go do house visits. I mean, I myself did not start questioning norms until I came out, so I understand not everyone has had that privilege of been part of a community that allows them to question those norms.”

Tolu also said that there are a lot of people who do not understand the law or their own rights – so the way they handle home visits or even people within their own community is with patience.

“I am privileged that I can understand the law; not everyone has that ability. It’s been five years since the gender identity law was put into place, and a lot of people within the transgender community still don’t know their rights let alone people outside the community. Still five years on, we’re still trying to educate – the work is never-ending, and it’s often not seen because it’s not flashy Instagram activism.”