Rebecca Buttigieg: Harassment Of Trans Teacher Reminds Us Never To Be Complacent
Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rebecca Buttigieg has said a student’s harassment of his trans teacher should serve as a message that more work needs to be done in the field of LGBT+ rights.
“This behaviour towards any person is condemnable,” a spokesperson for Buttigieg told Lovin Malta.
“As a country, we have achieved so much progress in strengthening civil rights and yet, cases like this one serve as a stark reminder of the work that remains to be done.”
“Such circumstances emphasise the importance of never becoming complacent and always striving for further improvements. It is for this reason that as a government we remain dedicated to investing in educational campaigns that aim to inform and educate our society.”
Maltese teacher Andrea Caruana recently opened up about how a student at the St Ignatius College Secondary School in Ħandaq had last June mocked her gender identity after she told him to address her as ‘Ms’.
She said the student called her “gay”, said she’s not a woman and said “it is as though you’re wearing a wig.”
Caruana, who has since changed school, is insisting that serious action be taken against the student to send a clear message to him and his classmates that such action is unacceptable.
Although college principal Doreen Said Pace told her she will seek legal advice at the Education Ministry, Caruana has yet to receive a follow-up and the Ministry has yet to respond to Lovin Malta’s request for an update.
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