Gabi Calleja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gabi Calleja
Calleja in 2016
Born	Malta
Alma mater	University of Malta
Known for	LGBTQ rights activism
Awards	International Women of Courage Award (2012)

Gabi Calleja is a well-known activist from Malta who works to protect the rights of LGBTQ people. An activist is someone who works hard to bring about political or social change.

Calleja has led important groups like the Malta Gay Rights Movement. She also helped lead a European group called ILGA Europe. Because of her important work, she received the International Women of Courage Award in 2012.

Education and Early Life

Gabi Calleja was born in Malta. She attended the University of Malta, where she earned a Master's degree in Youth and Community Studies. This field of study focuses on helping young people and improving communities. She is gay.

A Champion for Equal Rights

Gabi Calleja has spent many years fighting for fairness and equality in Malta and across Europe. Her work focuses on making sure everyone is treated with respect, no matter their identity.

Work in Malta

By 2010, Calleja was the leader of the Malta Gay Rights Movement. In this role, she spoke to the Maltese Parliament about the challenges faced by LGBTQ people. She shared reports and pushed for new laws to protect them.

Calleja has worked on many important issues in her home country. These include:

• The right for people of the same gender to get married.
• The right for same-sex couples to adopt children and form families.
• Making sure schools are safe and fair for all students.
• Banning harmful practices that try to change a person's identity.
• Changing rules that unfairly stopped some people from donating blood.

In 2015, she was chosen to lead a special council that advises the government on LGBTQ issues. By 2023, she was the head of a government unit that works on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

European Activism

Calleja's work also reached beyond Malta. By 2013, she was a co-leader of ILGA Europe. This organization works to improve LGBTQ rights all over Europe.

In 2014, she supported a major change in Denmark. She spoke out against a law that required transgender people to undergo a medical procedure before their gender could be legally recognized. Thanks to the work of activists like her, this unfair law was removed.

Other Career Highlights

Besides her activism, Gabi Calleja is a senior executive in Malta's public sector. She has worked in many different fields, including teaching, community development, and project management.

In 2005, she was part of a team that wrote a report about school attendance in Malta. The report looked at why students miss school and suggested ways to help them succeed.

Awards and Recognition

For her dedication to human rights, Gabi Calleja was honored with the International Women of Courage Award in 2012. This is a special award given by the United States government to women around the world who have shown great leadership and bravery.

In 2014, she was also nominated for a Human Rights Award at the first-ever LGBTI Community Awards in Malta.