Employment discrimination is a gender issue which is not limited to women but also extends to transgender people, yet this problem is often left out of the public debate.
The NGO Gender Liberation, officially launched yesterday, seeks to broaden the discussion and tackle the realities faced by the trans community.
Twenty-five-year-old George Douglas Saliba witnessed the NGO come about following a discussion organised by the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.
During the discussion various trans people and their families and friends present felt there was no organisation working specifically for the benefit of the trans community.
A group of people got cracking on filling that gap and Gender Liberation was born, with the support of the Malta Gay Rights Movement.
The idea is to offer a platform for education and support while addressing the themes of gender and sexuality more broadly. The NGO will go beyond “obvious” issues, such as marriage and adoption, and tackle other matters such as pay discrepancies and employment issues.
Karly Naudi, 27, knows of cases of transgender people who encountered problems during job interviews.
“I think employers feel unconformable because they are not familiar with the situation. Stereotypical trans women are objectified as sexy. To be blunt I think employers think: What’s the point of me hiring her when all she’s going to do is look good. Education takes a back seat when it comes to appearance,” she says stressing on the need for education.
Daniela Bonanno, 25, said the NGO seeks to question stereotypes surrounding femininity and masculinity and social expectations from men and women in general.
“There is no right or wrong. We’re about liberating people from all this labelling,” the young lawyer said.
Gender identity attracted an international spotlight last year when Frank Maloney, the former boxing promoter who guided Lennox Lewis to the world heavyweight title, revealed he was undergoing gender reassignment.
And in recent days former Olympian Bruce Jenner, stepfather of the famous Kardashian sisters, also announced he was “embracing transgender identity”.
In Malta, the Gender Identity law was approved in Parliament earlier this month. Among other things, it removes the need to undergo gender reassignment surgery before official documents are changed to reflect a person’s gender identification.
Mr Saliba explained how the NGO will spearhead a 17-month project Bejta (nest), that will consist of five hubs for trans women; trans men; gender diverse; significant others, friends, family; and intersex people.
Each hub will have an outreach officer who will work to network and consult. This will be followed by workshops and drawing up a report to be handed to policy makers.
Gender Liberation can be contacted on Facebook or through info@genderliberation.com.