Islamic State militants have bulldozed the ancient site of Nimrud in Iraq. They also attacked Hatra, another World Heritage site, and destroyed artefacts in the museum in Mosul. IS has released propaganda footage showing antique statues being crushed with sledge hammers.
Destroying the symbols of a nation’s history is an assault on cultural identity. Irina Bokova, Unesco director general, has described it as a type of “cultural cleansing”.
Nimrud is one of the great sites of former Mesopotamia, the ‘cradle of civilisation’, a region rich in archaeology linked to the Babylonian, Akkadian and Assyrian empires.
To draw an analogy with our own cultural history and identity, this would be like bulldozing Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim and the Hypogeum, or like smashing the artefacts in the Museum of Archaeology, such as the famous Fat Lady statues.
Not that she was necessarily a lady. The statues’ gender has been debated over the years in academic circles. The large buttocks seem female, but the figures have no breasts.
Many ancient cultures had gods and goddesses of ambiguous gender, or stories of people changing gender. Questions about gender are as old as the hills.
The controversial Gender Identity Bill has been approved unanimously by our MPs. Apart from the lobby groups, there was hardly a squeak from the public. The new law is pretty radical, but people were more worked up about civil unions than gender identity. Most will have some gay friends or relatives, but far less are in close contact with transgender or intersex issues.
I fully agree with enabling transgender or intersex individuals to establish their legal identity in a way that respects their integrity and dignity.
However, I am concerned about the ease with which it is now possible to change one’s gender identity under this new legislation. Just make a declaration to a notary and everything is signed, sealed and delivered within a few weeks. We seem to have raced from one pole to the other, and can be forgiven for feeling disoriented.
Gender identity changes in Malta now rest solely on self-determination, on the applicant’s subjective ‘internal’ experience as presented to a notary. No medical, psychiatric or psychological backup is required.
Embracing a different gender identity is hardly straightforward, and does not happen overnight. It is a long process which is life-changing, to say the least, primarily for the person involved but also for family and friends. It is one of the biggest steps you can take in your whole life, and goes right to the core of your personality and self.
It is a sensitive, emotional experience, and people going through this are vulnerable. They obviously require professional support and their families probably do too.
I am concerned about the ease with which it is now possible to change one’s gender identity under this new legislation
Heterosexual couples wanting to divorce are first obliged to go to counselling to explore the possibility of reconciliation. Then they must wait for four years after the marriage breaks down before they can obtain a divorce, even if they do not have any children and were only married for a short time.
There is clearly an underlying assumption here that people are capable of taking rash and emotional personal decisions with far-reaching implications that are not in their best interests, or of society. A spot of counselling and a four-year wait applies the brakes, just in case.
Yet this assumption is not being made for a change of gender identity. The new Act does not include any obligation for psychosocial counselling, or a reasonable period of time to think it over.
On the other hand, we have heard repeatedly from our MPs that transgender individuals suffer at school and work and therefore tend to be badly off financially, as well as emotionally traumatised. This does not suggest that they would have extensive access to professional help before visiting a notary.
Notaries cannot be expected to explain the social implications of a gender declaration to their clients. They are not equipped to recognise cases that are not genuine, or ambivalent, or whether their client is undergoing some psychological or emotional crisis.
People don’t always take the best decisions on their own, and transgender individuals are no different. While some people will have false motives, it is hardly likely that large numbers will seek to change their gender identity just because they can, as people do not divorce just because it is possible.
Even genuine cases are complex. They may not need a medical certificate, but surely they need as much counselling as a couple going through a marriage breakdown, if not more.
Some people hate the idea of opening up to a counsellor about personal issues, so you can’t assume that everyone will voluntarily seek professional advice. They might instead rely on family and friends, which may not be ideal. Professional counselling might also help to prevent abuse of the law.
Malta is apparently now a pioneer in gender identity legislation worldwide. I just hope that our trailblazing MPs and their advisers have thoroughly considered all the social and psychological implications of their last Act in the current chamber of Parliament, which will soon be closed and gathering dust. The final curtain has come down at the Palace.
petracdingli@gmail.com