Malta became the first European country to ban gay conversion “therapy” —also known as torture—when the tiny island nation’s parliament unanimously approved a sweeping bill on Monday that categorized the practice as a “deceptive and unlawful act.” The new law prohibits medical professionals from attempting to alter a patient’s sexual orientation, under threat of fines or jail time. It also lowers the age at which a person may request a change in gender to 16, permitting anyone over that age to legally change their gender without filing an application in court or receiving parental approval. The law declares that no sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression constitutes a disorder or disease and requires the government to recognize the “lived gender” of non-Maltese people detained on the island. [...]
In 2011, the country held a referendum on divorce, and a majority of voters chose to legalize the formal dissolution of marriages. No longer would Western Europeans drawn to the island for natural landmarks like the luminous Blue Grotto be shocked to learn that couples, once married, were forever trapped in their relationship. [...]
In 2016, the government repealed a law that criminalized the vilification of religion “by words, gestures, written matter, whether printed or not, or pictures or by some other visible means.” Tourists and residents alike could finally take in the breathtaking views of the spectacular Maltese countryside while perched atop the walled city of Mdina without fretting that a stray comment could land them in jail. [...]
Malta, of course, retains its proud Catholic heritage and continues to celebrate church traditions that help to define the country’s identity. A majority of its citizens (and legislators) have simply decided that the government has no business enforcing discriminatory beliefs using the heavy hand of the law. In that sense, the country is really an inspiration, simultaneously a haven for LGBTQ rights and a nation of deep Catholic faith. Liberal Western values may be on the decline elsewhere in Europe. But Malta today is proving that a country can adhere to key traditional values, promote its own religious heritage, and recognize the dignity of every citizen—all at the same time.
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