Malta
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Male homosexuality has been legal in Malta since 1973. There were no laws against lesbians. Malta gained its independence from Great Britain in 1964, but is still a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1990, Malta submitted an application for full membership in the European Union (EU). The islands have strong ties with neighbouring Libya. Malta is considered to be a very social conservative country, due in part to the nation's strong affliation with the Roman Catholic Church. Officially, 97% of its population is Roman Catholic, although recent surveys on Church attendance have seen a drastic drop in figures in recent years. The Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), founded in 2001, is a socio-political non-governmental organisation which has as its central focus the challenges and rights of the Maltese lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. In February 2008, MRGM organised and presented a petition to parliament asking for a range of measures to be introduced to protect them through the law. The petition received the backing of Alternattiva Demokratika with leader Harry Vassallo addressing the Malta Times newspaper, saying that the recognition of gay rights would be a step forward. The petition was signed by more than 1,000 people and asked for legal recognition of same-sex couples, an anti-homophobic bullying strategy for the island nation's schools and new laws targeting homophobic and transphobic crimes.