What comes to mind when you hear ‘gay rights’? A good guess would be the scene in Valletta when the Civil Unions Bill passed through Parliament. You might even think of a ceremony that you’ve attended in recent times or a story of someone close to you.

What we’ve witnessed over the past four years has been a total transformation in this area. We went from a conservative island of yesteryear to being the most progressive nation in Europe in civil rights, according to the ILGA Rainbow Index – and we have topped that list twice in a row now. It’s been unbelievable.

I think the seed of this societal change, which historians will look back on decades from now, was the divorce referendum. I think it unblocked our spirit as a country, and a new generation said no more.

However, as we see this beautiful episode unfold, we should remember where we started from, because 10 years ago, Malta did not rank high in civil liberties.

I’ve been, directly or indirectly, involved in this movement for decades. I saw pro-LGBT supporters get struck down by the establishment way before the term LGBT existed.

The success in civil liberties of the past four years is an achievement dedicated to the many who faced a discriminating and hostile world

It was a dark phase, and I must stress this prevailed in many countries, not just Malta. For centuries they were trampled on by the forces of the day’s society, and over the past 40 years I’ve seen families destroyed because of the inability to appreciate a gay or lesbian child.

I know of people who had to face the wrath of an unforgiving society, people who lost their job because of their sexual orientation but remained silent – the law, or society, was simply not ready to step in.

There were stories of abuse, homophobia and cruelty, often by a family member or those closest to them. There were stories of people pushed to do the most desperate of acts a human being can do because they could not fathom not being accepted for who they were, leaving behind a trail of tears. Fear, sadness and ignorance prevailed.

When people talk about the good old days I sometimes shudder – we’ve moved so far forward today, why would we ever want to go back to that society? Some might forget these stories, but the great present we have is by no means guaranteed for tomorrow. We must understand where we came from.

The sea of people celebrating in Valletta in May 2014 was mainly the young, of all creeds and orientations. They have faced the difficulties of growing up in an often tough environment. But also present were the old-timers, those who’ve seen much worse and those who, in their younger days, would never have believed that little tiny Malta would be so free, unshackled from the shadows of the past. They know who they are and it was also their day.

I’ve always detested when a group of people tries to impose a way of life on others. The mantra of live and let live was something I believed in from an early age, which is why we’ve not just introduced the Civil Unions Bill during the past four years, but a range of additional legislation that guarantees rights to those who rarely had any.

Previous governments had promised many things, such as half-baked cohabitation bills, but very little happened in 25 years. Malta had only introduced the ban on anti-gay discrimination in employment law because the government of the day had to, in order to join the EU in 2004. Everything was business as usual.

On the other hand, we’re by no means done, and in the electoral manifesto we have promised even more legislation to deter discrimination and strengthen what we’ve built. You can count on us to know that we won’t sleep at the wheel on this.

The success in civil liberties of the past four years is an achievement dedicated to the many who faced a discriminating and hostile world. It’s for those who had to live their lives in the shadows and were never allowed to be who they truly were.

The right to marry, to adopt, to be treated the same and the ability to truly live a free life, no matter who you are, are all things that do us proud as Maltese and is the greatest accomplishment we could have provided for those who suffered so much in the past.

We’re not done, but it’s a great start. This one’s for you.

Evarist Bartolo is the Minister for Education and Employment.