Gays and Azzjoni Nazzjonali

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2008/02/17/n2.html

Muscat’s Addams Family: OK if gay, but not broken

Sunday, 17 February 2008

Sabrina Agius

It’s utter confusion on the extreme right. Gays are suddenly more accepted than children from broken families, who in one fell swoop have been labelled by the infertility doctor, Josie Muscat, as “extensively prone to violence”.
After taking a stand against alternative lifestyles a month ago, Azzjoni Nazzjonali yesterday declared itself in favour of gay civil unions yesterday.
AN leader Josie Muscat surprised everyone when he said discrimination in the laws against gays had to be stopped.
“AN accepts these relationships are not based on capricious intentions,” Muscat said. “We believe that the law should be emended whereby same sex couples can reconcile under a civil contract, called civil partnership.”
Civil partnerships recognise basic rights, including the opportunity of having a joint bank account, joint tax computation, visiting rights in cases of sickness and hospitalisation and rights for succession in cases of death.
Despite these rights, Muscat insisted such partnerships should never be called “marriage,” adding that gay couples should not have the right to adopt children.
In the same breath, Muscat credited broken families with “bringing enormous problems on the country, and on every one of us”.
“What broken families mean is that the State needs to fork out more social benefits. Apart from that, the effect on children is drastic,” Muscat claimed, venturing into his theories on children coming from broken families being “extensively more prone to violence”.
Even worse, he exclaimed, such children will in turn cost “millions of money in social benefits” to get rehabilitated or imprisoned.
“Cancer in the core of the family is increasing, even if we still believe that the majority of our families are strong,” he added.

My Comment:

It is important to remember Dr. Muscat's homophobia on Xarabank in 2007. Philip Beattie, the second founder of AN, doesn't come across as very gay friendly either.

The AN always seemed to ridicule gay rights by the articles they publish on their website:

Flesh-Eating" Bacteria Striking Gay Men
http://www.azzjoninazzjonali.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=699&Itemid=2

Fury over new gay hate laws which 'threaten free speech'
http://www.azzjoninazzjonali.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=665&Itemid=2

The foster couple who quit rather than be forced to promote gay rights
http://www.azzjoninazzjonali.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=495&Itemid=2

Charity: Pupils risk prosecution for 'gay' slur
http://www.azzjoninazzjonali.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=439&Itemid=2

Firemen demoted and fined for shining torch on gay foursome in the bushes
http://www.azzjoninazzjonali.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=421&Itemid=2

Foreign News: Gay 'Christian' wins job tribunal against Church of England
http://www.azzjoninazzjonali.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=186&Itemid=2