Why do we need Pride in Malta?

by Exec Member Thea

Malta has changed, but sometimes, we forget just how much 

There was a time when slavery was part of Maltese society 

People were bought and sold 

People were forced to work  

There was a time when child labour was accepted 

When children were expected to work instead of simply being children 

There was a time when torture was used as a form of punishment and interrogation 

There was a time when women had far fewer rights than they have today 

And yet, Malta changed 

The things we once accepted, we learned to reject 

The things we once considered normal, we learned to question 

The rights that once seemed impossible became reality 

And that brings us to today 

Because if Malta can change so much  

Why should we ever believe that change should stop here?

Why do we still need Pride?

We need Pride because progress is not the same as perfection 

We need Pride because there are still people who are afraid to hold their partner's hand in public 

People who are afraid to tell their family who they really are 

People who still hear that they are wrong, disgusting, unnatural, or that they don't belong 

And yes, sometimes we see those words written online 

Comments telling us we shouldn't exist,telling us we are destroying Malta 

telling us that our families aren't real 

telling us that our identities are something to be ashamed of 

We hear them 

But we are still here 

And Pride is not about demanding that everyone agree with us 

It is about saying:

We deserve to live, love to be ourselves 

And we deserve to feel safe doing it 

Because Malta's history teaches us something important 

The fact that something has always been done a certain way doesn't make it right 

And the fact that something is new doesn't make it wrong 

Progress happens when ordinary people decide that tomorrow should be better than yesterday 

So today, we celebrate that progress 

We celebrate lesbians 

gay men 

bisexual people 

transgender people 

intersex people 

asexual and aromantic people 

queer people 

non-binary people 

And everyone who has ever struggled to find the words for who they are 

We celebrate those who came before us 

Those who fought when it was harder 

Those who came out when it was dangerous 

Those who stood up when they were told to sit down 

And we celebrate those who are here today 

Especially the young person who might be watching this and wondering:

"Will I ever be accepted?" Yes 

You deserve to be 

You are not a problem that needs fixing 

You are not something that needs hiding 

You are part of our community 

You are part of Malta and gozo 

And you belong here 

So let us remember how far we've come 

But let us also remember how far we can still go 

Because the Malta we want is not a Malta where everyone is merely tolerated 

It is a Malta where everyone is accepted 

Where everyone is respected 

Where everyone is loved 

A Malta where no child grows up believing there is something wrong with them because of who they are 

A Malta where nobody has to choose between being themselves and belonging 

That is the Malta we want to build 

And today, we celebrate it 

So to every single person in our community:

Be proud 

Be loud 

Be exactly who you are 

Love who you love 

And enjoy your Pride 

Because you belong here 

We all belong here 

Happy Pride, Malta