Tuesday 28 February 2012

Malta Today: LGBT Labour calls for legislation to protect gay people

Negative attitude towards gay community can change only when state legislation recognises same-sex couples says Cyrus Engerer.

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/LGBT-Labour-calls-for-legislation-to-protect-gay-people-20120206
Monday 6 February 2012 - 18:13 by Miriam Dalli.

LGBT Labour's spokesperson Cyrus Engerer said negative attitude towards homosexual people can only be changed if the state recognised their status.

"It's not possible for a mentality of a country to change if the laws of that same country remain unchanged," Engerer said.

Engerer was reacting to local news that two girls were attacked on a public bus because of their sexual orientation. Last month, two sixteen-year-olds were attacked in Hamrun because of their sexual orientation.

Engerer said LGBT believed in diversity. "In a democratic country everyone has the fundamental right of living their life in freedom," Engerer said.

He added that increased use of social media and advancements in technology are leading to violent attacks on minority groups to be exposed. "Such attacks have long been taking place. Immediate and concrete action needs to be taken," Engerer said.

Engerer called for the introduction of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech legislation, as currently there's nothing which covers homophobic acts.

In its statement, LGBT Labour said that the only way that these attacks are addressed is by introducing laws which recognised homosexual couples and families, "who are invisible to the law and inexistent to the state".

Engerer said that recongition brings visibility which help changes the mentality of individuals. He said that the attacks were not only on the two girls but on the whole LGBT community.

Engerer said that four years ago, one of the Nationalist Party's electoral promises was to include sexual orientation as part of the NCPE's porfolio. "This promise has not yet been implemented with the result that no national entity has as its goal the education and promotion of diversity of sexual orientation," he said.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on Malta Today's website.]

Saturday 25 February 2012

Tuesday 14 February 2012

L-Orizzont: “Wiċċ doppju” tal-Gvern fuq l-orjentazzjoni sesswali

http://www.orizzont.com.mt/FullArticle.php?ID1=%27Ahbarijiet%27&ID2=86431
14.2.2012


"Mela jien nista' nobbliga lill-Knisja Maltija timpjega bil­fors magħha persuni gay?". Dan kien dak li kien jgħid Law­rence Gonzi waqt laqgħat ta' bord li x-xogħol tiegħu kien li jara li jemenda l-liġi industrijali skont ir-regoli tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Fost ir-regoli kien hemm li ma jistax ikun hemm diskriminazzjoni fuq il-post tax-xogħol abbażi ta' reliġjon, razza u sess. F'dan il-bord, Law­rence Gonzi, li dak iż-żmien kien Ministru għall-Politika Soċ­jali kien baqa' jirrifjuta li jdaħħal ukoll l-orjentazzjoni sesswali, xi ħaġa li finalment kellha tiddaħħal wara li l-Unjoni Ewropea ġibdet l-attenzjo­ni tal-Gvern.

Din il-pożizzjoni li hu esprima fil-magħluq u quddiem ftit nies, tikkuntrasta bil-kbir mal-istqarrija li għamel fl-aħ­ħar jiem, dwar tibdil fil-liġijiet biex jiġu protetti aktar il-persuni 'gay'. Quddiem dak li kien jgħid Lawrence Gonzi ftit snin ilu biss u xi ħaġa li kien baqa' joġġezzjona għaliha anke sa meta Malta daħlet fl-Unjoni Ewropea, qegħdin iqu­mu dubji dwar kemm illum hu verament jemmen fil-kaw­ża tal-persuni 'gay'.

"Nittamaw li dak li ħabbar il-Prim Ministru fl-aħħar jiem, mhux qed isir biss biex jipp­rova jingħoġob mal-poplu. Nem­men li seta' emenda l-li­ġijiet ħafna xhur ilu, imma dej­jem żamm lura minħabba l-Knisja. Deher ċar li l-kjass li nħoloq fuq vjolenza lill-persu­ni 'gay', qed jipprova jirkeb fuqu l-Prim Ministru meta nin­sabu ftit xhur biss bogħod mill-elezzjoni ġenerali," qal­tilna persuna 'gay' meta kkuntattjata minn l-orizzont.

Ftit tal-jiem ilu, il-Prim Mi­nistru Lawrence Gonzi ħabbar li l-liġijiet għandhom jiġu emen­dati u dan wara żewġ inċidenti ta' allegat vjolenza fuq persuni 'gay', liema inċidenti seħħew fi spazju ta' ftit jiem biss. Fi stqarrija li għamel f'Kas­til­ja, u li għaliha ma setgħux isi­ru mistoqsijiet, il-Prim Ministru Gonzi waqt li sejjaħ għall-prudenza fil-kummenti għax il-każijiet għadhom qegħdin ikunu investigati, għamilha ċara li s-soċjetà għandha tirrispetta l-persuna sħiħa, irrispettivament mir-razza, jew l-orjentazzjoni sesswali tagħha.

Hu qal li "liġijiet huma riflessjoni tal-valuri tagħna, u għandhom ikunu inforzati u l-istituzzjonijiet kollha għandhom jevitaw id-diskriminazzjoni u jirrispettaw lill-persuni."

Kemm l-Aditus kif ukoll il-Malta Gay Rights Movement, f'dikjarazzjoni flimkien qalu li att bħal dak li ġara fl-aħħar jiem kontra żewġ persuni 'gay' f'pajjiżi Ewropej ikun investigat bħala reat kriminali ta' mib­egħda, iżda Malta għadha trid testendi l-liġijiet ta' reati kriminali konnessi mal-mi­begħ­da fuq l-omofobija.

Thursday 9 February 2012

Independent UK: Uganda's anti-gay bill reintroduced in parliament

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ugandas-antigay-bill-reintroduced-in-parliament-6641375.html
7.2.2012, AP

A lawmaker in Uganda is reintroducing an anti-gay bill that received wide condemnation, including from US President Barack Obama.

The bill was reintroduced today by David Bahati, the bill's primary backer. It was originally introduced in 2009 but has never come before the full parliament for a vote.

The original draft legislation languished in a committee of parliament as the Ugandan government grappled with the international opposition it generated.

The original draft called for the death penalty for some homosexual acts, one of the reasons the bill received so much attention. Bahati told The Associated Press last year that he is willing to drop that provision if that is the recommendation of a parliament committee.

L-Orizzont: Il-PM jitlob għal pieni aktar ħorox … wara żewġ każi ta’ mibgħeda

http://www.orizzont.com.mt/FullArticle.php?ID1=%27Ahbarijiet%27&ID2=86181
8.2.2012

Fi stqarrija li ngħatat b'urġenza lill-ġurnalisti, il-Prim Ministru Lawrence Gonzi ħabbar li ta struzzjonijiet lill-Ministru tal-Ġustizzja Chris Said biex iniedi proċess ta' konsultazzjoni biex jaraw jekk hemmx possibbiltà li l-pieni fuq reati ta' mibgħeda jiħraxu.



Dr Gonzi qal li ħa din l-azzjoni wara li f'inqas minn tliet ġimgħat seħħew żewġ attakki omofobiċi. Il-Prim Ministru qal li dan il-proċess għandu jara jekk hemmx possibiltà biex jiħraxu l-liġijiet li jipprevenju reati ta' mibegħda.

Minkejja li l-ġurnalisti kie­nu msejħin Kastilja għal konferenza tal-aħbarijiet urġenti, fil-fatt ma kinitx konferenza tal-aħbarijiet u bħalma jagħ­mel issoltu, Lawrence Gonzi ma rrispondiex għall-mistoq­sijiet tal-ġurnalisti. Huwa qal li din l-azzjoni ttieħdet fid-dawl tal-aħħar żewġ reati li seħħew, fejn tfajliet ġew agg­rediti minħabba l-orjentazzjoni sesswali tagħhom.

"Dawn ir-reati ta' mibgħeda huma reati omofobiċi, immotivati mis-sesswalità tal-persuni kkonċernati," qal Gonzi. Tliet ġimgħat ilu fil-Ħamrun żewġ tfajliet kienu attakati minn żewġ ġuvintur allegatament minħabba li t-tfajliet huma lesbjani. Waħda mit-tfajliet sofriet ġrieħi gravi u kellha bżonn il-kura medika.
It-tieni każ seħħ nhar il-Ġimgħa għadda, żewġ tfajliet oħrajn bl-istess orjentazzjoni sesswali sfaw aggrediti minn xufier tal-Arriva wara li kienu qegħdin jitgħanqu fil-karozza tal-linja. Dawn sfaw aggredi­diti minn xufier li dak il-ħin ma kienx xogħol u li nzerta kien fuq ix-xarabank. Il-kumpanija Arriva keċċiet lil dan l-impjegat u tressaq il-Qorti b'urġenza.

Id-dikjarazzjonijiet tal-Prim Ministru saru wara l-kundanna tal-MGRM kif ukoll tal-LGBT Labour. Ilbieraħ il-Kunsill Nazzjonali taż-Żgħażagħ ikkundanna bla riżervi kull forma ta' diskriminazzjoni omofobika.