MGRM coordinator Gabi Calleja appointed chairperson for LGBTI council

The coordinator of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, Gabi Calleja has been appointed chairperson of the LGBTI Consultative Council - a government body.

Calleja replaces Cyrus Engerer, the former Labour candidate who resigned from his post after being posted abroad in the Maltese permanent representation to the EU in Brussels.

In 2014, the council, made up of several NGOs, made unprecedented strides forward in the realm of civil rights with the passing of the civil unions bill. In the past months, the council also worked on the Gender Identity Act, which has had its first reading in Parliament.

A public consultation on cohabitation laws is expected in 2015. Civil liberties minister Helena Dalli thanked the outgoing chairperson for his work and wished Calleja every success in her new role.