Mina Tolu

Mina Jack Tolu
Deputy Chairperson of AD+PD
In office
28 May 2023 – 24 May 2025
Serving with Carmel Cacopardo
LeaderSandra Gauci
Co-Spokesperson of Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG)
In office
August 2019 – June 2021
Personal details
BornRomina Tolu
(1991-08-31) 31 August 1991 (age 34)
Malta
PartyAD+PD (2020-present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Alternative (before 2020)
Alma materUniversity of Malta (BA, MA)
George Mason University (M.Sc)
OccupationPolitician, political activist, LGBTQI activism, environmental activist
Websitehttps://minatolu.com/

Mina Jack Tolu (born 31 August 1991) is a Maltese politician, activist who champions LGBTQIA causes and is a green activist who has campaigned to raise awareness of transgender rights and gender equality in Europe.[1] They ran for the 2019 European Parliament election in Malta.[2] Tolu served as deputy chairperson of AD+PD and was co-spokesperson of the Federation of Young European Greens.

Early life

Tolu and their twin sibling, Ludo Tolu, were born on 31 August 1991 to a Maltese family of Italian descent. Together, they founded the Maltese Student Organisation, "We Are", in 2010.[3] Tolu's father, Giancarlo Tolu, is a Maltese sportsman who broke a Guinness World Record in bowling in 2004[4] and represented Malta at the European Senior Bowling Championships[5] and the Senior World Cup.[6]

Tolu graduated with a Bachelor of Communications (Hons) from the University of Malta in 2014.[7] Their dissertation project consisted of the creation of a comic meant to reach out to the LGBT young adult audience. The comic was aimed at the Maltese audience, where literature of this type is limited. Tolu also holds a Masters in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security from the University of Malta, and a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.[8]

Activism

Youth and student activism

While at University, Mina was elected as one of the student representatives for the faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, and contested the 2014 student council elections with Pulse.[9]

LGBTQI activism

Tolu began advocating for LGBTQIA rights in 2010, starting with the foundation of "We Are – LGBTQQI Youth and Student Organisation"[10] at the University of Malta.[3]

From 2014 to 2015, Tolu was a board member and co-chair of the International LGBTQIA Youth and Student Organization (IGLYO). They were IGLYO's candidate for the Council of Europe Advisory Council of Youth during 2016 and 2017.[11] They were elected to the Advisory Council of Youth[12] where they worked on portfolios of mental health, counter-narratives and "no hate speech". In 2015, Tolu joined the staff team of Transgender Europe (TGEU) as communications officer.[13]

Mina Tolu at the Human Rights Conference at Stockholm Pride 2018
Mina Tolu at the Human Rights Conference at Stockholm Pride 2018

In 2016, Tolu represented Malta at One Young World Summit in Ottawa, Canada. They delivered a speech on trans rights and was a member on a panel about gender equality.[14] Tolu spoke about challenging gender stereotypes, gender-neutral pronouns[15] and stressed the need for gender equality to include transgender and gender-non-conforming people. During their speech on trans rights and violence against trans people[16] at the One Young World Summit, Tolu spoke about TGEU's Trans Murder Monitoring project[17] and called on the One Young World community fighting similar forms of discrimination, violence and hatred towards diversity to unite together and bring change in all these communities.

In 2018, Mina Tolu joined the Women Deliver Young Leaders program,[18] which is a global advocacy program that develops youth activists to work for gender equality and women's rights.[1] They returned to local activism in Malta by joining the Pride Week events in the run-up to Malta Pride 2018.[19] In August 2018, Tolu joined the Human Rights Conference at Euro Pride held in Stockholm.[20]

Environmental activism

In 2015, Tolu coordinated the national referendum campaign "SHOut" - Spring Hunting Out (No campaign)[21] for the Maltese environmental NGO BirdLife Malta that aimed to abolish spring bird hunting in Malta. The result of the vote was a slim victory for the "Yes" campaign of 2,220 votes.[22]

Political career

Tolu contested the 2019 European Parliament election in Malta as a candidate for Alternattiva Demokratika (AD).[23] During the campaign, Tolu called for a respectful debate on abortion, a stance that triggered a public dispute with former party leader Arnold Cassola. The disagreement led to Cassola's resignation from the party, with Tolu stating they felt used as a "scapegoat" for long-standing internal divisions.[24]

Following the merger of AD and the Democratic Party to form AD+PD in 2020, Tolu assumed the role of International Secretary. In June 2022, they were elected to the committee of the European Green Party, becoming the first Maltese representative to serve in the executive body of the European Greens.[25]

Tolu served as the Deputy Chairperson of AD+PD from 2023 to 2025. They stood again as a candidate in the 2024 European Parliament election in Malta, campaigning on issues of human rights, environmental justice, and the rule of law.[26] In 2025, Tolu was elected as the party's Treasurer.

Recognition

Mina Tolu was nominated and won the student award at the first LGBTQIA Community Awards in Malta, 2014. Their twin, Ludo Tolu, won the same award.[27] In the same year, they were awarded Kokka Attiva by the University Student Council for their work as a student at the University of Malta and was nominated for a JCI Malta young leader award.[28]

Personal life

Tolu is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns in English and masculine pronouns in Maltese.[29]

Their father, Giancarlo Tolu, is a sportsman who has represented Malta in international bowling competitions.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b "Mina Tolu". Women Deliver. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. ^ "AD to field three candidates for the European Parliament elections - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b "The Executive Team". Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Bowling coach breaks world record". Times of Malta. 21 September 2004. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Silver medals for Spiteri in Bologna tournament". Times of Malta. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Malta Olympic Committee – Tenpin Bowling National Leagues". nocmalta.org. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  7. ^ Tolu, Romina (10 December 2018). ""Sarah's story" : the creation of an LGBT comic". hydi.um.edu.mt. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  8. ^ Naudi, Marceline; Azzopardi Lane, Claire; Harwood, Mark (2026), "Mapping the Rainbow: Researching the diverse colours of the LGBTIQ+ community" (PDF), Mapping the Rainbow, vol. 3, Malta: Human Rights Directorate within the Ministry for European Funds, Equality, Reforms and Social Dialogue (MEES), Malta, p. 101, Mina Jack holds a Bachelor of Communications, a Masters in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security from the University of Malta, and a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University (USA).
  9. ^ "Mina Tolu | An inclusive Europe is one where everyone participates as they wish to in work, life and democracy". MaltaToday. MediaToday Co. Ltd. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Out Statute". Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  11. ^ Tolu, Mina, Mina Tolu - Advisory Council on Youth, retrieved 10 December 2018
  12. ^ "Members of the Advisory Council on Youth". Council of Europe. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Mina Tolu". One Young World. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  14. ^ "WATCH: Maltese Representative Challenges Emma Watson At International Youth Conference". lovinmalta.com. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Worlds apart on a tiny island - our Director's Talking Point on The Times". aditus foundation. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  16. ^ "This year alone 185 trans people have been reported murdered" | Mina Tolu, 18 November 2016, retrieved 10 December 2018
  17. ^ "Leading Lights". The Hive. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  18. ^ "An Unwavering Advocate for Girls and Women". Women Deliver. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Check Out Every Single Event Happening At Malta Pride Next Week". lovinmalta.com. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Reproductive rights and LGBTI rights: different challenges, different strategies? - EuroPride 2018 Stockholm". EuroPride 2018 Stockholm Program. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Spring Hunting Out campaign says it is time to 'set the facts straight' on spring hunting - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Referendum 2015 Official Result Govt Gazette" (PDF). electoral.gov.mt. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  23. ^ Diacono, Tim (17 November 2018). "Maltese LGBTIQ Activist Who Called Emma Watson Out For 'She' Reference To Run For MEP Elections". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  24. ^ ""Cassola never approached me; I feel like a scapegoat" - Mina Tolu". Newsbook.com.mt. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  25. ^ "Mina Jack Tolu elected as a member of the European Green Party committee". The Malta Independent. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  26. ^ Tortell, Ana (5 May 2024). "Mina Tolu: 'We need to stop seeing the environment as a resource to be exploited'". Malta Today. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  27. ^ "Nominees for first LGBTI Community Awards announced". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  28. ^ Diacono, Timothy (14 May 2014). "18 Awards Handed out at Kokka Night 2014". The Insiter. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  29. ^ "[WATCH] Mina Tolu: 'Respecting my gender pronouns means people see me'". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  30. ^ Demarco, Joanna. "Meet Mina, the Maltese activist who's set to shake things up at the MEP elections". GuideMeMalta.com. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mina_Tolu