The great strides which Malta has made in recent years with regards to the LGBTIQ community have already started bearing fruit, and today was yet another moment where it was all recognised. Malta obtained the highest score in Europe in the IGLYO LGBTIQ inclusive education index, scoring well above most countries in the continent.

The official Twitter account of the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU shared the good news online earlier today. In one of the shared images, Malta can clearly be seen as having scored a final score of 90 (which is impressive when pitted against so many countries that scored very low, with at least 10 countries scoring zero points). Coming in at second was Sweden with 88 points, with Norway and the Netherlands following suit with 84 and 81.5 respectively.

IGLYO is the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex Youth & Student Organisation. The first edition of the Inclusive Education Index was launched in 2017, and includes collective data from all Council of Europe Member States every two to three years to provide “an overview of LGBTQI inclusive strategies within education.” 

Last year, the organisation announced plans to conduct the first European-wide LGBTIQ School Students’ Survey in 2018, a qualitative research to highlight young people’s experiences of school and help identify where progress is most needed.

Criteria which were mentioned in today’s announcement of the Inclusive Education Index included specific mentions of variations in sex characteristics, legal gender recognition without self-determination (both over and under 16), and membership of the European Governmental LGBTI Focal Points Network.

The first edition of the report on the LGBTIQ Inclusive Education European Index will soon follow, with this event acting as a preview of what’s to come.

Do you think Malta has earned its position at the top of its index? Let us know in the comments below

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).