I am trans, genderqueer feminist with 20 years of experience working with national, regional and international philanthropic, non-profit, academic and public sector organisations focusing on social and gender justice, women’s and LGBTIQ rights, intersectional advocacy and research.

I began my LGBTIQ organising and activism in 2002 with the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM), where I was a member of the Executive Committee for several years. As a young queer person, I joined MGRM to advocate for a safer and more just Malta, for more awareness about our communities, for inclusive laws and policies, for recognition and protection of our identities and families, against discrimination, violence and hate.

My professional experience in the LGBTIQ movement includes serving on many boards, including IGLYO, ILGA-Europe, and ILGA World, and I was ILGA World’s Co-Secretary General between 2014 and 2019. Currently, I am a member of the Board of Urgent Action Fund.

After graduating in Sociology from the University of Malta, I moved to Ireland, where I continued my studies, obtaining a Masters degree in Women’s Studies at University College Dublin, for which I focused on the historical aspects of queer desire concerning a group of lesbians in Irish history. I have then carried out doctoral research at Trinity College Dublin, focusing on ethnographies of queer migrations in Ireland and Malta.  

On my return to Malta, I worked as Assistant Director at the Foundation for Educational Services (Ministry for Education). I was responsible for setting up a national after-school service for school-age children in Malta. I set up, led and managed Klabb 3-16, the after-school service, for five years, during which I oversaw the development and growth of this national service. 

Following that, I joined the Maltese Ministry for Civil Liberties, working in human rights and social justice, with a particular emphasis on LGBTIQ and migrants’ rights. I played an active role in the process that led to the passing of the groundbreaking Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act in 2015. Working closely with then Equality Minister, now European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, I wrote a number of policy papers, including the White Paper that led to the tabling of an all-encompassing and intersectional Equality Bill and creating a Bill to set up a new Human Rights and Equality Commission in Malta. 

Until February 2024, I was the Associate Director of Programs (Intersex Human Rights Fund) at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Astraea Foundation is a feminist and queer public foundation that raises and distributes funds to organisations led by lesbians and queer women, trans and gender non-conforming people, intersex people and people of colour globally. Since 2015, I have led the Intersex Human Rights Fund grantmaking, capacity and movement-building, and philanthropic advocacy strategies to support and strengthen intersex movements globally.

I have been working with and supporting the sex workers’ rights movement for several years. As ILGA World Secretary-General, I led the process that saw ILGA’s membership approve a resolution supporting sex workers’ rights and decriminalisation. On a national level, I have served as Chair of the Sex Work Reform Technical Committee. I have overseen public consultations processes, held several stakeholders’ meetings, carried out research and made legal and policy recommendations. These include setting up of a Unit within the Human Rights Directorate tasked with developing a national strategy regarding the human rights and wellbeing of sex workers in Malta and creating a new support service tailored to provide holistic and non-judgemental support services to sex workers and their families. These were set up, laying the ground for more comprehensive work. I have also led the process to draft a bill that will reform prostitution laws in Malta, including decriminalising sex workers and their families, recognising the need for more protection from violence and coercion. 

I have had the opportunities to travel to many countries around the world, facilitate convenings, meetings and movement spaces, deliver training and workshops, share my thoughts on panels and in advocacy spaces, related to organisational development, strategic planning and strategy development, research and more. 

I live in Siġġiewi, in the Southwest part of Malta, the same place I grew up in. I love travelling, swimming, cooking and playing the piano in my spare time. I love all sorts of music, but Baroque remains my favourite; I love film too, and sci-fi is my most-watched genre. 

I bring to my work my seven years in philanthropy and my twenty years of experience and abilities in leadership, governance, strategic planning and networking in national, regional, and international settings, including social justice nonprofits, public sector, and public philanthropy. I also bring two decades of leadership, including co-leadership and participatory decision-making; organising, facilitating, planning, co-creating and advocating. My leadership and commitment are reflected in how I approach my work. In addition, I have garnered extensive experience on the national and international stage concerning LGBTIQ movements, human rights and issues. What has defined my professional and activist life is the ability to listen and speak to people from all walks of life, be they activists, politicians, funders and allies.