Mapping the Rainbow

In just a few days we will commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and other anti-LGBTQI violence. A day which will always remind me of the earliest days of my activism at University.

I reflected on these experiences last month at the launch of Mapping the Rainbow Volume 3, edited by Marceline Naudi, Mark Harwood, and Claire Azzopardi Lane. And published by the Human Rights Directorate. At the launch I was also asked to speak about the importance of research on LGBTQI issues.

We have seen an increase in both the quality and the quantity of LGBTQI research that looks at Malta or is carried out at the University of Malta. This is extremely positive, as there are many fields in which it is important to know how LGBTQI communities are being impacted by policies, stereotypes and so on. This third volume of mapping the rainbow includes work from different fields including sport, social policy, healthcare, education, gerontology, and disability studies.

I also contributed a chapter which discusses the case studies that I explored in my MA in Conflict Analysis and Resolution.