Gabi Calleja | |
|---|---|
 Calleja in 2016 | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | University of Malta |
| Known for | LGBTQ rights activism |
| Awards | International Women of Courage Award (2012) |
Gabi Calleja is a Maltese LGBTQ rights activist. [1] She has served as coordinator of the Malta Gay Rights Movement and co-chair of the executive board of ILGA Europe. For her work on LGBTQ rights, she was given the International Women of Courage Award in 2012.
She read for a Master's in Youth and Community Studies at the University of Malta. [2] She is gay. [3]
By 2010, Calleja was the coordinator of the Malta Gay Rights Movement. [3] In this role, Calleja's work included presenting reports on LGBTQ discrimination to the Social Affairs Committee of the Maltese Parliament. [3] In 2015, she was appointed chairperson of the LGBTI Consultative Council. [4] By 2023, Calleja was the head of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Unit (SOGIGESC). [5]
Within Malta, Calleja has fought for issues such as recognition of same-sex marriage, [3] [6] the legalization of same-sex adoption, [3] the rights of gender-nonconforming and trans students, [7] and equal access to IVF. [8] She has called for the banning of conversion therapy [5] and the repeal of a ban preventing gay men from donating blood. [9]
By 2013, she was co-chair of the executive board of ILGA Europe, a lesbian and gay advocacy group. [10] In 2014, she spoke publicly in favor of Denmark removing a law which had required transgender people to undergo sterilization before they were legally allowed to change their gender. [11]
In addition to her work on LGBTQ rights, she is also a senior executive in the public sector in Malta, and has worked in the fields of teaching, drug prevention, training, community development, fundraising, and project management. [2] In 2005, the “School Attendance Improvement” Report, a review of absenteeism from school in Malta, was published; she had been part of the group appointed to write it. [2]
She received a 2012 International Women of Courage Award for her work on human rights. [12] [13]
In 2014, Calleja was nominated for the Human Rights Award at the inaugural LGBTI Community Awards in Malta. [14]
