Ruth Baldacchino (born 1979) is an

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

and

intersex activist Intersex people are born with sex characteristics, such as genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". In ...

, former Co-Secretary General of the

International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is an organization who is committed to advancing human rights to all people, disregarding gender identity, sex characteristics and expression. ILGA participates in a ...

(ILGA World), and Senior Program Officer for the first

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...

human rights fund.

Education

Baldacchino holds an M.A. in Women's Studies from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

and a B.A. (Honours) in Sociology from

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

. They lecture Queer Studies and Sociology at the University of Malta.

Activism and career

Baldacchino has previously served on the boards of the

Malta Gay Rights Movement The Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM), previously known as the Malta Gay Rights Movement, is an organisation committed to achieve full equality for all LGBTIQ people in Malta regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristi ...

IGLYO The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO) is an international LGBTQI organisation that was created in 1984 as a reaction to the need for better cooperation among regional, local ...

and

ILGA-Europe ILGA-Europe is the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. It is an advocacy group promoting the interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, at the European level. I ...

and also serves as senior program officer for the first intersex human rights fund. They are a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta. Between 2014 and 2019, they served as co-secretary general of ILGA World. Since 2015 they have worked as program officer for the first intersex human rights fund, at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Prior to joining Astraea, Baldacchino worked at the Ministry for Civil Liberties in Malta on human rights and social integration, participating in the process of developing and passing a groundbreaking Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act. Baldacchino has a non-binary gender identity, and describes the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act as providing "freedom to an individual to develop, establish and express their gender, rather than having the State or the medical professionals deciding that. In other words, ... to be allowed to determine what identity fits ... best and how ... to embody that identity." Baldacchino has also closely engaged with intersex activists, particularly through the co-facilitation and coordination of ILGA's

International Intersex Forum The International Intersex Forum is an annual event organised, then later supported, by the ILGA and ILGA-Europe that and organisations from multiple regions of the world, and it is believed to be the first and only such intersex event. Predeces ...

s. Baldacchino contributed to a 2015 national education policy on ''Trans, Gender Variant and Intersex Students in Schools''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldacchino, Ruth Living people Maltese LGBT people Intersex rights activists Transgender rights activists Intersex rights in Malta Maltese LGBT rights activists Alumni of University College Dublin University of Malta alumni 1979 births Non-binary activists

Education

Activism and career

See also

References