Moving Beyond the March: How to Be an Active LGBTIQ+ Ally All Year Round

Malta has made historic, world-leading strides in legal protections and equality for LGBTIQ+ individuals. Yet, as a systemic family therapist and activist, I see firsthand that legislative progress is only half the journey. True equality is lived out in our living rooms, our schools, our workplaces, and our daily social interactions.

An ally is simply someone who knows, cares about, and actively supports an LGBTIQ+ person. For some, stepping into this role feels natural; for others, it requires conscious, deliberate effort. But whether you are showing up for your children, extended family, clients, or colleagues, allyship is both a noun and a verb. It requires continuous, intentional action.

Here is how we can put active allyship into practice within our local communities.

1. Everyday Actions: Allyship as a Human Being

We can all practice better allyship in our daily lives by adopting a mindset of humility, open-mindedness, and respect.

• Be a Good Listener & Hold Shared Secrets: Believe that all people deserve dignity and respect. If a loved one or acquaintance trusts you with their identity, keep that trust sacred. Never "out" someone or share their status without their explicit consent—it is not your story to tell.

• Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable: Growth happens at the edge of our comfort zones. Accept that you might make mistakes, use the wrong term, or misgender someone by accident. The goal isn’t to be a flawless ally; it’s to acknowledge the slip, apologise gracefully, and ensure everyone feels free to live authentically.

• Do Your Own Research: It is wonderful to want to learn, but keep your questions respectful and non-intrusive. Take the initiative to look up terms, histories, and local contexts on your own rather than expecting LGBTIQ+ individuals to carry the burden of educating you.

• Speak Up Online and In Person: Sharing supportive posts during Pride Week and other international days celebrating identities within this community is a great start, but standing in solidarity in your everyday environment—at the family dinner table or at work—is where real change happens.

  
  

  

2. Professional Actions: Continuous Training and Critical Self-Reflection

For helping professionals, educators, and clinicians, allyship cannot merely be a passive stance; it must be a core competency. To provide genuinely safe, affirmative care, we must look critically at our own practices and paradigms.

• Commit to Continuous, Specialised Training: The language, healthcare pathways, and psycho-social realities of the LGBTIQ+ community are constantly evolving. Relying on baseline university training is not enough. Seek out accredited CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses, seminars, and systemic training that focus specifically on gender, sex, and relationship diversity.

• Unpack Implicit Biases and Heteronormativity: We operate within a society that has historically defaulted to heteronormative and cisnormative standards. As professionals, we must routinely engage in self-reflection—ideally through clinical supervision—to ask ourselves: Am I making assumptions about a client's partner based on their gender? Am I viewing an LGBTIQ+ identity through a pathologizing lens? Recognising our own biases is the first step to ensuring they do not enter the therapeutic space.

• Acknowledge Minority Stress: In clinical and community settings, it is vital to recognize how societal prejudices impact mental well-being. Younger LGBTIQ+ individuals frequently experience higher rates of mental health challenges due to daily environmental stressors and microaggressions. True allies look beyond the individual to address these systemic, chronic pressures.

• Honor Chosen Families: In family therapy, we look closely at relationships. For many LGBTIQ+ individuals, biological family dynamics can be complex, strained, or entirely absent. Professional allyship means fully validating, legally respecting, and clinically involving chosen families—the support networks, friends, and partners who provide unconditional safety and love.

• Interrupt Insensitive Language: Gently but firmly speak up when a colleague or peer uses derogatory language, outdated terminology, or casual phobic jokes.

• Respectfully Correct Misgendering: If you hear someone use the incorrect pronouns for a colleague, family member, or client, gently correct them in the moment to ease the emotional burden on the person being misgendered.

  
  

Local Support and Lifelines in Malta

Being an effective ally means knowing exactly where to direct someone when they need specialized, professional, or peer support. Please familiarise yourself with these vital Maltese organisations, health services, and lifelines:

• MGRM (Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement): MGRM offers a wealth of resources, advocacy, and direct support. mgrm@maltagayrights.org / +356 99255559

• The Rainbow Support Service (RSS): Run by MGRM, RSS provides professional social work and therapeutic support to LGBTIQ+ individuals, youth, and their families navigating the process of self-identification and coming out. support@maltagayrights.org / +356 79430006

• LGBTIQ+ Wellbeing Service: A specialised service offering dedicated therapeutic, psychological, and psycho-social support specifically tailored for LGBTIQ+ individuals, couples, and their families navigating identity, relationships, and mental wellness. lgbtiqservice@gov.mt / +356 99042015

• LGBTI+ Gozo: A crucial regional organisation focusing on creating safe spaces, running educational campaigns, and providing a community network specifically for queer individuals and families in Gozo. lgbtigozo@gmail.com / +356 99356622

• The Gender Wellbeing Clinic: Located in Paola, this multidisciplinary governmental service provides comprehensive, free healthcare and care pathways for trans and gender-diverse individuals. transhealthcare.health@gov.mt / 79500299

• Drachma & Drachma Parents:A unique and highly supportive space in Malta that assists individuals and parents of LGBTIQ+ persons in integrating sexual diversity with spirituality and faith. lgbti@drachma.mt / 79253875 & parents@drachma.mt / 79442317

• General Mental Health Lifelines: For immediate crisis or mental health support, individuals can call the national helpline at 1579 .

"Education and shifting take time. You will make mistakes, but it is far better to make those mistakes and keep moving forward than to not try at all."

Walking the Path Together

Allyship is not a destination; it is an ongoing practice of attunement, listening, and adjusting our behaviours to lift others up.

Whether you are a parent trying to better understand your child's journey, an individual navigating your own identity, or a professional looking to practice more affirmingly, you do not have to walk this path alone. My therapy space is committed to being an intentional, safe, and affirmative environment for individuals, couples, and families of all backgrounds.

Please feel free to reach out through my contact page if you would like to book a systemic consultation.