The LGBTIQ-Friendly logo campaign, spearheaded by Equality Minister Helena Dalli, appears to have been put on hold following the public backlash to the proposal.

“The government has taken note of all reactions to the All Welcome campaign and is looking at the way forward to implement this standard-raising exercise as well as providing the right visibility for it,” a government spokesperson told Lovin Malta.

The #AllWelcome or #IlkollMerħba initiative, which formed part of the National LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy, allowed businesses to apply for special ‘LGBTIQ+ friendly’ logos after attending an informative session on the topic.

However, many ended up questioning why a measure was even needed in the first place, accusing the logo as discriminatory and promoting segregation. Some people also argued that the proposal labels people, despite very public efforts from the LGBTIQ+ to remove the need for labels for anyone.

The controversy even reached the PN, who joined in the wave of criticism, claiming that the initiative somehow threw Malta in the list of intolerant countries… despite the Minister responsible for it ushering in some of the most progressive LGBTIQ+ legislation worldwide.

Dalli’s son, Luke, responded to the slew of negative online comments by referencing the work his mother has done for the community.

“For the past 35 years, my mum has given her life, her heart and soul to make people’s lives better through politics,” Luke said following the backlash.

“Be it minorities, majorities, people in need and less fortunate, she taught me that if you make at least one person’s life better every day, you would already have achieved a lot,” Dalli continued.

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