Equality accomplished, or not? : a historical comparison of transgender life

Abstract

This dissertation is an analytical assessment of the amendment in the civil code and the GIGESC Act, to assess whether the legal progress that has been achieved in Malta in the last five years, along with the gained visibility of transgender individuals, has also improved their social life. This act, with special emphasis to article three, asserts the right to have one’s gender recognised, to freely express one’s gender identity, to be treated and identified as the gender identity indicated in the identification documents and to have body integrity and physical autonomy.

Through the literature found and the interview process, this research will try to gain knowledge if the legal progress registered is equally matched with the social acceptance of transgender individuals. Four transwomen and three transmen agreed to share their life experiences, with special focus on their youth years, to determine the impact of identifying as a transgender had on their life by comparing the legal and social implications. The analysis of the literature found, legislations and newspaper articles and in-depth assessment of the narratives on the importance of the family role, discrimination faced in education, employment and the medical sector which gives us an idea of the emotional stress and segregation these individuals pass through due to the stigma and misconceptions surrounding their world.