PN committed to strengthen LGBTIQ+ rights, inclusivity – Bernard Grech

The Nationalist Party is committed to continue strengthening the rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals, Bernard Grech has told European centre-right LGBT activists.

Grech said a PN government will ensure the LGBTIQ+ community in Malta will benefit from legislation that upholds the principle of inclusivity.

During a meeting in parliament on Thursday evening, the PN leader welcomed the leadership of the European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance. The lobby group, of which the PN’s Equal Opportunities Forum (FOIPN) is a member, is holding its annual general meeting in Malta.

Alliance president, Helge Ytterøy L’Orange is also expected to address the PN’s General Council plenary session that will be held at Villa Blanche on Friday.

Alliance president, Helge Ytterøy L’Orange (third from left) is expected to address the PN general council (Photo: PN)

The European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance is associated with the European People’s Party (EPP) and represents a network of Conservative, Christian Democratic, and Liberal-Conservative LGBT groups across Europe. It provides an LGBT voice within centre-right politics at European and national levels, and offers a centre-right voice within the LGBT+ community.

During a meeting in Dublin last year, the FOIPN was appointed as a board member of this alliance, represented by Jamie Vella. Subsequently, Malta was chosen to host its annual meeting for 2024.

Over the past decade, under a centre-left Labour government, Malta made rapid advances in affirming the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons. The country has been topping the Rainbox Index of rights, produced annually by ILGA-Europe, a lobby group, for several years now.

The PN’s relationship with the LGBTIQ+ community has not always been positive, having abstained on legislation introducing civil unions back in 2014 after internal opposition to adoption rights for gay couples. Nonetheless, the party put forward constitutional amendments to specifically prohibit discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation, and in 2017, backed a government Bill for the introduction of marriage equality.

The PN also supported legislation that made conversion therapy illegal and overcame internal discomfort from some MPs to support the gender identity law of 2015 that granted trans, gender-queer and intersex people the right to self-determine their identity.

Grech was accompanied in the meeting by PN Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione, Assistant Whip Paula Mifsud Bonnici, equality spokesperson Graziella Attard Previ, inclusion spokesperson Graziella Galea and FOIPN President Jamie Vella among others.