During the Malta Sustainability Forum, we got to meet many interesting people. The module dedicated to the youth saw a great mix of both local and international changemakers within the sustainability field. It was indeed our pleasure to get to know about the work done by Eman Borg, a Gozitan, who has worked in many areas to support youths within the LGBTI+ community.

Eman, thank you for being part of the Forum. We are interested in learning more about your activism. When did you actively start working to promote and raise awareness regarding the LGBTI+ community?

Thank you for having me, the Forum proved to be a factual representation of youths and their work. My work towards the LGBTI+ community started when I was 19, with the foundation of LGBTI+ Gozo the first LGBTI organisation on the island of Gozo. The need for such a niche organisation that interlinks different identities together was felt through my “coming out” experience. As a young person I was part of several traditional catholic social groups that enabled me to find my true self through voluntary work. As I was growing up and as any teen started learning about different elements of my individual self, I felt that my sexuality was not represented on the island of Gozo. This experience therefore was key to take a stance and create a platform (both online and physical) for minority groups on the island that often than not are not heard, not accounted for and not seen.

What are the main issues you find that youth forming part of this community face, especially during these transformative years in their development?

In general, I believe that one of the major issues is when young persons are finding their true self, there is a constant idea that they are too “young” to truly know what they want. Young people are subjected to the idea that whilst they have responsibilities - their opinions are disregarded. Whilst we think that the needs of all youths are the same, we cannot be distracted, and we shall not forget that LGBTI youths have another layer of challenges. Sometimes, we try to box youths into one item - “youths” without understanding the complexity of the individuals. I feel that this is one of the main challenges in Gozo - that we talk about “youths” as a collective term and forget that youths are diverse with different needs, challenges and aspirations. Specifically, with the LGBTI community - the problem stems from the lack of visibility on the island. Whilst as an organisation we have transformed the discourse to an open conversation - the visibility on different intersectional identities is still lacking. Few ethnic Trans* individuals or gay disabled activists are voicing their opinion in Gozo (or in Malta for the fact), therefore role models are limited. It is us, the activists, that are to empower others to join in and work hand in hand to create a more prosperous future.

You are the President and Founder of the NGO LGBTI+ Gozo. How do you offer support to the LGBTI+ youths in Gozo?

As LGBTI+ Gozo we organise several projects, educational campaigns and social events to educate and inform the general public about pertinent issues when it comes to diversity, equality, human rights and others. We offer services towards the LGBTI community on the island of Gozo (not only youths). Our helpline +356 99356622 is available for individuals that need support, counselling or need to reach one of our 17 professionals who are engaged with the organisation. These professionals come from different backgrounds such as spiritual guidance, notary, lawyers and accountants. Pre-COVID LGBTI+ Gozo used to organise a monthly LGBTI Youth Hub for youths to meet, get to know each other and through the services of a youth worker and social worker have access to professional guidance if needed. A hybrid mode was created in 2020 where online sessions were being held. More information can be found on lgbtigozo.com

In 2017, you received a Commonwealth honour, where you were appointed as a Queen’s Young Leader for your activism with LGBTI+ Gozo. Tell us more about your experience of meeting the Queen herself?

The Queens Young Leader award is a program by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Trust. The program included an online learning component from Cambridge University - a physical learning component in Cambridge and a visit to London, in which the highlight was the award ceremony preceded by Her Majesty. The experience was surreal - you get into Buckingham Palace and all your childhood dreams come true for a moment. Her Majesty was very poised and took interest in our work - I introduced Malta (Gozo), in which her eyes smiled and the organisation (LGBTI+ Gozo). I also showcased my tie made from a local artist Stef Farrugia - which had the George Cross embroidered on it - a symbol her Father gave to the Maltese. At that moment, whilst all the world's eyes were on me meeting Her Majesty - I felt alone, meeting someone I knew for a long time.

Two years later, you also represented Malta in the Commonwealth Youth Forum, and you form part of the youth advisor to the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. What topics are usually discussed during such a Forum?

The Commonwealth Youth Forum is a space as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) which is held every 2 years. In 2018, the forum was held in London and this year it will be held in Kigali, Rwanda - this after the postponement of the event from 2020, due to the pandemic. During the forum a number of themes are discussed that matter to Commonwealth Youths. As 1.2 billion, and so just over 50% of the Commonwealth population is under the age of 30, hence considered as youths, the honour and privilege to represent youths at the forum comes with great responsibilities. Major themes such as Climate Change, access to education for all and digital literacy (ICT) are all topics that youths discuss, with a declaration written and signed by all representatives at the end of the forum to be presented during the actual CHOGM. My responsibility stems also from the fact that Europe is the smallest region within the Commonwealth regions - and unfortunately, as always, the ones in minorities are often forgotten. Therefore, we lobby and present the European youth perspective on the Commonwealth youth fora table.

A key pillar of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is the promise to “leave no one behind”. Do you feel that the community at large is inclusive or exclusive towards the LGBTI+ community, and how?

The LGBTI+ Community in Malta celebrates the legal progress that has been endured in the last few years. If we had to look around us within the Commonwealth over 70% of Commonwealth countries have some sort of discriminatory laws against LGBTI communities. That in mind, I think Malta has a mix of inclusive laws and exclusive mentality. This is also representative by the way we write and articulate our policies. As mentioned before, we need to look into the intersectionality of the individual needs. It is very futile that a lesbian woman is legally not to be discriminated against because she is a lesbian, but is subject to systemic oppression because of her gender (that of a woman) or if an ethnic minority Trans*, who as a person has access to the Gender Wellbeing Clinic in Malta (which is one of the first in Europe and very well needed) but when waiting for the bus that person is hearing constant racist comments. These are only some examples on how Malta has progressed in one sector of inclusivity but needs to work harder so that all the identities of the individuals are respected and on equal footing.

What concluding message would you like to pass on to our audience on this topic?

One lesson that I’ve learned is to get out of my comfort zone and listen. As a society we live now more than ever in our echo chambers - what we feed into social media, social media feeds back to us. I encourage all of you reading this, to get off your phones - get out there (COVID restrictions permitted 😊) and listen to different viewpoints on different topics. Feel the real pulse of others who often we regard as different then us, that is one way how we can bridge the gap and really move towards a progressive society. To learn more about Youths and their proposals for a better future watch the recording of the Malta Sustainability Forum available here.