Exactly 100 Same-Sex Couples Were Married In Malta In 2022
Data provided to Parliament by Equality and Reforms Minister Byron Camilleri has shown that one hundred same-sex couples got married in Malta in 2022.
And over the past five years, no less than 336 same-sex couples in Malta have tied the knot, according to Camilleri.
Last year’s result shows the continuation of an upward trend in the frequency of same-sex marriages, which seems to have been disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic (along with roughly a trillion other things…).
Marriage equality was enshrined in Maltese law as recently as 2017. In 2018, 65 same-sex couples got married. The following year, 81 more couples joined their cohort.
The following year, when lockdowns hit, bringing with them a whole host of concerns such as economic uncertainty and genuine fear about our collective futures, the figures took a significant hit, and just 41 couples married.
In 2021, the queer marriage scene enjoyed a slight recovery, with 49 couples getting married, but the effects of COVID-19 recovery didn’t come into full force until 2022.
The highest number of same-sex couples to tie the knot – an even 100 – came last year.
Though we have yet to see how many more get married in 2023, it is encouraging that we have already exceeded pre-pandemic numbers and resumed the upward trend.
Same-sex marriage is certainly not the only measure for how well a society (and legislative system) treats members of the LGBTIQ+ community, but it can be treated as an encouraging signpost of progress – particularly in a country which only decriminalised gay sex less than a full generation ago.
Though harrowing stories of homophobia impacting the self-realisation and daily lives of people who are just trying to be themselves do continue to be prevalent, the Maltese state does show signs of seeking to strive towards LGBTIQ+ equality.
Malta also consistently ranks amongst the safest European and Asian countries in terms of LGBTI rights and safety.
While we should always promote active work seeking to keep on building a better and safer world for us all, we can also enjoy news about how far we’ve come, and how far it shows we can go.
Photo credit: Gay Guide Malta
Congratulations to all 336 same-sex couples who have married in Malta since 2018!
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