Most of my friends were very happy that the Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of Joanne Cassar in her bid to marry a man after she underwent a sex-change operation. I, however, was simply vexed. This case further confirms the barbaric and primitive nature of our State: instead of having courts and laws which operate on civilized forms of logic, we have a system which simply thinks in terms of penises and vaginas.
Thanks to the Church, which morally guides our parliament into eternal salvation, both political parties have as yet refrained from officially declaring themselves to be in favour of Gay Marriage. In order to appear to be more liberal than the Nationalist Party, Labour has created a section for homosexuals called LGBT Labour, but this was a complete failure because it was intentioned to propagate the idea that Labour accepts homosexuals as well as heterosexuals in its ranks. This does not make them more liberal and tolerant on this issue than the Nationalist Party since the latter had already made this point clear by having as they have a gay MP (Kar Gouder), a gay MEP (David Casa), and now also, a gay deputy-mayor (Cyrus Engerer) within their ranks. Moreover Labour.s official position on homosexuals is exactly the same as that of the Nationalist Party. Only now has Labour made some slight progress on this issue with the news that Evarist Bartolo will introduce a Private Members bill in Parliament in order to pave the way for the recognition of trasngender people.
However, it is of course Labour which is the natural home for homosexuals. If legislation for gay marriage will be passed, it will surely not be the Nationalist Party who introduces it. Thus, what are Casa, Engerer and Gouder doing as members of the PN, if it is absolutely obvious that the PN will never introduce gay marriage? They militate with the PN and defend it with all means necessary, because they simply do not have the slightest interest to see gay marriage being introduced in Malta. They have comfortable political careers, good pay checks and all they have to do is look gay and Nationalist so as to create the illusion that the PN is a tolerant and civilized party. In short, they are dirty-minded opportunists who are using their sexuality to give political points to a homophobic party which will never introduce any type of legislation that will enable homosexuals to marry. This has created a very sorry state in our country because it has given the illusion to many homosexuals that the PN is promoting their interests, and thus they eagerly vote for it during elections.
I presume that the Labour Party has many MPs who are in favour of gay marriage, including the leader himself, Joseph Muscat but they so far restrained themselves from discussing such legislation in parliament because they fear a huge backlash from the Church.
In order to have the Labour Party truly fulfilling its ideological role, first it must be safe from the Church.s grip on State Power which also manifests itself when citizens vote for the party which is the more Catholic of the two. This is a long and arduous process but in short, it is the only possible way for homosexuals in Malta to be treated as ordinary citizens who share the same equal rights as heterosexuals.
That said, the gay community in Malta must also step up and do battle. Their social status, which is similarly reduced to that of the Jews in Nazi Germany, may hinder them from actually standing up to their rights. The main factor contributing to this similarity is that being gay in Malta means that Catholics will acknowledge homosexuals not by their individual distinctive activities, such as their job, but by their sexuality; as if gays in Malta carry a star on their jackets. So if you happen to be both a corporate executive and a homosexual, for Catholics, you are first a homosexual and then a corporate executive. This labelling culture which is instilled in our society by the Church.s intolerant doctrine is unabashedly oppressive and ultimately barbaric. The greatest hypocrisy is that the Church states that it tolerates homosexuals in its ranks as long as they do not perform homosexual acts, as if homosexuality is something transcendental which does not have anything to do with sexuality. This hypocritical position is similar to that of the PN; they tolerate homosexuals but they do not tolerate gay marriage, as if homosexuals are obliged by the ethics of the Catholic State to marry somebody from the opposite sex.
Homosexuals in Malta will remain Jews as long as the Church has a tight grip on our parliament, and as long as we have a party in Government which aims to uphold Catholic beliefs rather than pass civilized laws which cater for all the citizens of the country.
[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on Ir-Realtà 's website.]
Gays are the Jews of Malta? I'm sure Christopher Marlowe would beg to differ. But seriously, I don't think hyperbolic comparisons to Nazi Germany are at all helpful or appropriate in this case. Certainly LGBT folk are second-class citizens, but the level of oppression is incomparable.
ReplyDeleteWhilst I agree to a degree with Zachary's comments about the level of oppression, I must wholeheartedly appalud Dr Attard's brave standce.
ReplyDeleteAs a Liberal catholic Bishop who has enjoyed the friendship and support of both gay and heterosexual Maltese men and women, I am appalled beyond words, yet not surprised, at the3 almost Neanderthal attitude of the political parties in the country.
Openly gay and openly Catholic I have suffered the awful and heinous vitriol of the Archbishop's palace (not the current one I have to admit, but I am sure it will only be a matter of time) when I conducted a Mass for the gay community in a former gay bar in Buggiba. 'Sticks and stones' was my response at the time and indeed I enjoyed the company of the then Prime Minister H E Eddie Fenech Adami and various members of his cabinet at a function during the day before the ceremony, and they had no issues (to my face) over my open homosexuality and position I hold in the community of the faithful.
I actually, for a moment, believed that political life in the archipelago would lead to a positive growth in acceptance for all gay and lesbian citizens yet this seems to have been a pipe dream.
I would urge all the gay community in the islands to stand together and to continue to fight for their most deserved equality and freedom for life and liberty.
Rt Rev Dr Barry Rathbone DD Dip LSR KGCSJ(OM)
barry.rathbone@live.co.uk
Mark wrote: "In order to appear to be more liberal than the Nationalist Party, Labour has created a section for homosexuals called LGBT Labour, but this was a complete failure because it was intentioned to propagate the idea that Labour accepts homosexuals as well as heterosexuals in its ranks. This does not make them more liberal and tolerant on this issue than the Nationalist Party since the latter had already made this point clear by having as they have a gay MP (Kar Gouder), a gay MEP (David Casa), and now also, a gay deputy-mayor (Cyrus Engerer) within their ranks."
ReplyDeleteThis is absolute bullshit. There are such groups in both conservative and liberal parties around the world. Such groups are able to advise parties on policies affecting gay men and lesbians.
Gouder is not the first gay MP. So far, as I am aware, he has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with trespect to gay men and lesbians. You now say David Casa is gay. Has he admitted this publicly and if so why did he go with all that bullshit of saying that he visited a gay bar to attend meetings. Even if he did, he should have simply said: I am gay and proud of it.
Joseph Muscat has said publicly that he will siupport civil unions for gay men and lesbians. Is that not a great step from the position of the Nationalist Party. Why crucify Joseph Muscat and the PL if you have their genuine interests at heart?
Let's put it on the record. Not all gay men and lesbians favour marriage. I was recently at a conference (Into the Streets) and a significant number of gay and lesbian activists were against marriage. Those in favour were pejoratively referred to as assimilationists.
Some of us are proud to be different and have no wish to follow the mores and rituals of heterosexuals. We MUST develop our our tradition and our own rituals.
I fully agree with you with respect to the important and damaging role that the Church plays in Malta. I am not too worried about it. This is a Church that is digging itself into its own grave.
Let me say also that I support gay marriage even though I have serious reservations about it. I support it because I recognise that it is important to some gay men and lesbians and I believe in freedom of choice. One of the major issues that concerns me is the number of divorces that are likely to follow. Let me be blunt. Some gay men change boyfriends more frequently than using a towel (which is their right, of course) and there is always the danger of marrying during the honeymoon period. This can only reinforce the impression that gay men (and lesbians) are promiscuous (this usually means they have more sex than the one making the claim as I see nothing wrong is sex for pleasure - it does not always have to be sex within the context of a relationship) and unable to commit themselves to long term relationships. Put simply, it may backfire. Being politically realistic and any gay activist must be so, civil unions are not only a best option in the current circumstances but a significant milestone.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to Maltese politics, I have to say that when I think of the PN and gay rights, the first person that springs to mind is Louis Galea, followed by Cyrus.
The fellow at the very front of the photograph appears to me as your stereotypical gay PN. While I accept your criticism of the PN which criticism I think is justified, the emergence of gay MPS within that party is still a positive sign. Oh, yes, you scratch my back and I scratch yours mentality but at least they are visible. Even the PN has gay men and lesbians within its fold. And speaking of lesbians, where are they? One of the PN supporters, Cyrus, is a member of the Malta Gay Rights Movement and in this regard I think it is unfair that you dismiss him as an opportunist. In any event, not a few party members are opportunist and you find them on both sides of the political spectrum.
ReplyDelete@Joseph. I quote: 'Not all gay men and lesbians favour marriage'. Neither do all heterosexuals.
ReplyDeleteWas the comment meant to be demeaning, because I'll say, that was definitely an offense to my intelligence. And everyone that is annoyed at hearing the same poor excuses from people that say that. I myself, acknowledging my bisexuality for years, have never once cheated on a partner and I was always on the hunt for my life partner, be it male or female. Sure, like many people out there I had had my fair share of sexual partners, yet always with people with whom I felt I had a future, and I am now happily engaged to a wonderful person who I am deeply committed to. Not all LGBT are promiscuous. A gay lecturer of mine has been with his significant other for twenty seven years. You'll find the oddball everywhere.
What Joseph said, reminds me of all the cliche excuses our forefathers used when talking about African American slaves. It was all the same, the blacks were always dirtier, more dangerous, more uneducated than the whites...but ah, progress made us see how truly ignorant all our past excuses were.
I have two gay family members who are extremely committed in their romantic relationships. I had a gay partner for 4 years, and the decision to end the relationship was entirely mine. If i were you, I wouldn't go around, passing sweeping statements around that gay and lesbians have a greater tendency for promiscuity. It only helps highlight your utter ignorance on the matter.
Let's be frank. These statements of yours are in fact, absolute nonsense. You're not for gay marriage, you're against it.You don't seem to sympathize at all with the gay community, despite your ranting on about how much you acknowledge people's 'feelings'. People such as yourself only try to seem more accepting of certain issues publicly, so as not to be considered outdated. The Jews were always outnumbered, and people that were adamant on having a clean record in the eyes of the law, failed to support them.
ReplyDeleteNeither party essentially WANTS to do jack to help gay marriage come about (with the exception of Gouder and two people on the LP's side) in pious little Malta. Therefore we LGBT depend on people like you not to speak up. The fact that certain gay and lesbian groups might not wish to wed does not apply to the entire community. What's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Am I right? Or perhaps Joseph might be implying that the entire community should have laws that pertain to the majority.
What if heterosexual unions were to be banned based on what the majority voted? After all,many young heterosexual's feelings towards marriage has become less and less favorable towards it. Ideally, the majority of heterosexual couples prefer not to marry for a number of reasons, for feminist or bachelor lifestyle reasons, economic and so forth. Really, who are you to judge? You are not helping us move forward. You want to help the country digress.
Having gay partnerships does not mean a loss of Catholic values, and a loss of morals. It simply means there happen to be sexual minorities that should be acknowledged and assisted. Not merely acknowledged.
What the gay community does not need, is excessive ignorance on behalf of people in our country.
You're either for gay marriage or against it. There is no space for gray areas anymore. Please people, get your gay facts straight.
Comment by Estelle:
ReplyDelete@Joseph. I quote: 'Not all gay men and lesbians favour marriage'. Neither do all heterosexuals.
Was the comment meant to be demeaning, because I'll say, that was definitely an offense to my intelligence. And everyone that is annoyed at hearing the same poor excuses from people that say that. I myself, acknowledging my bisexuality for years, have never once cheated on a partner and I was always on the hunt for my life partner, be it male or female. Sure, like many people out there I had had my fair share of sexual partners, yet always with people with whom I felt I had a future, and I am now happily engaged to a wonderful person who I am deeply committed to. Not all LGBT are promiscuous. A gay lecturer of mine has been with his significant other for twenty seven years. You'll find the oddball everywhere.
What Joseph said, reminds me of all the cliche excuses our forefathers used when talking about African American slaves. It was all the same, the blacks were always dirtier, more dangerous, more uneducated than the whites...but ah, progress made us see how truly ignorant all our past excuses were.
I have two gay family members who are extremely committed in their romantic relationships. I had a gay partner for 4 years, and the decision to end the relationship was entirely mine. If i were you, I wouldn't go around, passing sweeping statements around that gay and lesbians have a greater tendency for promiscuity. It only helps highlight your utter ignorance on the matter.
Let's be frank here. These statements of yours are in fact, absolute rubbish. You're not for gay marriage, you're against it.
You don't seem to sympathize with the gay community, let's take things for what they really are. People such as yourself only try to seem more accepting of it publicly, so as not to be considered outdated. The Jews were always outnumbered, and people that were adamant on having a clean record in the eyes of the law, failed to support them.
Neither party essentially WANTS to do jack to help gay marriage come about (with the exception of Gouder) in pious little Malta. Therefore we LGBT depend on people like you not to speak up. The fact that some gay and lesbian groups do not wish to marry does not apply to the entire community. What's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Am I right? Or perhaps Joseph might be implying that the entire community should have laws that pertain to the majority?
What if heterosexual unions were to be banned based on what the majority voted? After all,many young heterosexual's feelings towards marriage has become less and less favorable towards it. Ideally, the majority of heterosexual couples prefer not to marry for a number of reasons, for feminist or bachelor lifestyle reasons, economic and so forth. Really, who are you to judge? You are not helping us move forward. You want to help the country digress.
Having gay partnerships does not mean a loss of Catholic values, and a loss of morals. It simply means there happen to be sexual minorities that should be acknowledged and assisted. Not merely acknowledged.
What the gay community does not need, is excessive ignorance on behalf of people in our country.
You're either for gay marriage or against it. There is no space for gray areas anymore. Please get your gay facts straight.
I simply make a few points. Read what I actually wrote and not what you seek to import into it. Who cares about Catholic values? Where did I mention them in what I wrote? If anything my comments indicate that I do not give a shit about Catholic values.
ReplyDeleteThe point I was trying to make is that while I support gay marriage on the basis of the right to choose I have a number of reservations about it as an institution. The gay and lesbian community is made up of different individuals with different approaches to many different subjects. What we must not do in the gay and lesbian community is to impose a form of political correctness on everyone. Gay men and lesbians have a right to disagree with the concept of marriage. That is what democracy freedom of speech are all about.
You write: "You're either for gay marriage or against it. There is no space for gray areas anymore." Well, I've got news for you. There is plenty of room for gray areas. The last thing we need in our very diverse gay and lesbian community is some kind of fundamentalism.
You also wrote: "You don't seem to sympathize with the gay community, let's take things for what they really are. People such as yourself only try to seem more accepting of it publicly, so as not to be considered outdated. The Jews were always outnumbered, and people that were adamant on having a clean record in the eyes of the law, failed to support them." I do not sympathise with tha gay community? I came out in 1972. I became an activist that very year. I have taken part in endless demonstrations including ones for equal love. I have written books including Il-Ktieb Roza and Queer Mediterranean Memories. I live and breathe homosexuality/gayness and have done so since 1972.
My final point is that we as gay men and lesbians should celebrate our difference and stop mimicking heterosexuals. After all, even heterosexuals are abandoning marriage. To equate support for gay and lesbian marriage with dedication to the gay and lesbian community is, with respect, the height of ignorance.
Joseph said
ReplyDelete"La Trobe University professor Dennis Altman, a gay rights pioneer, has described the gay marriage campaign as 'self-indulgent crap...I mean people around the world are being tortured for being homosexual...and people here carry on as if [gays] not being allowed to marry was a huge abuse of civil rights.'”
So you see gay men do not all think the same. And if you have never heard of Dennis Altman sadly you know nothing of the history of the gay and lesbian liberation movement.
Gay men have different views on a different range of subjects.