Couples in Malta who prefer not to assign a gender to their newborn at birth, now have the option not to, following 42 new government proposals tabled on Thursday.
As part of the new laws, men will also be given the choice of taking their female partner's surname for the first time.
People who change their gender will also have the right to change their original designation for a nominal fee from the public registrar instead of having to go to court for a formal amendment.
These amendments help to end any difference in treatment between couples who are married in the church, have a civil union or others who don't fall into either category but would still like surnames and pronouns to reflect their reality.
“The update is important in order to reflect the more inclusive and progressive society which we want to build,” said Rosianne Cutajar, parliamentary secretary for equality and reforms.
“These kinds of amendments allow us to move on from old restrictions that came from a patriarchal society.” she added.
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