Times: US courts wary of endorsing gay marriage rights

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130327/world/US-courts-wary-of-endorsing-gay-marriage-rights.463183
Wednesday, March 27, 2013 by Reuters


Supporters of traditional marriage demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

US Supreme Court justices signalled yesterday that they are reluctant to embrace a broad ruling finding a fundamental right to marriage for gays and lesbians across the US.

He raised concerns about entering ‘uncharted waters’ on an issue that divides the state

Pink News: Argentina: Gay couple attacked by group in the name of Pope Francis

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/03/27/argentina-gay-couple-attacked-by-group-in-the-name-of-pope-francis/
27 March 2013, 5:28pm by Scott Roberts

The incident took place at a private party

A gay couple was reportedly assaulted by a group of people in the Argentine city of San Isidro last Saturday, with the attackers allegedly defending their actions due to the nationality of the new Pope.

A translation of diarioregistrado.com indicates the victims were told that being gay is a “sin” and since there is now an Argentine Pope, gay people should not be present in Argentina.

The incident took place at a private party, with around 200 people attending – it was sparked after one of the victims kissed his male partner.

Before being physically assaulted, one of the victims was told: “Homosexuality is a sin, and now that the Pope is all Argentines (sic), you are a disgrace to Argentina.”

The pair were also told that the party was taking place in a “Catholic home”.

76-year-old Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on 13 March 2013.

Like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Pope Francis has a hostile view on gay rights and in the past described same-sex marriage and gay couples adopting children as a “destructive attack on God’s plan.”

Pope Francis also privately stood up for civil unions in Argentina in 2010, in a bid to stop the country from legalising equal marriage.

In 2010, Argentina’s Senate voted 33-27 to support a bill to legalise equal marriage. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner backed the legislation, making Argentina the first Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage, and full adoption.

Pink News: 50 Cent says men who don’t sleep with women ‘should just kill themselves’

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/10/01/50-cent-says-men-who-dont-sleep-with-women-should-just-kill-themselves/
1 October 2010, 4:48pm by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk

50 Cent has been accused of homophobia in the past

Rap star 50 Cent has suggested that men who do not sleep with women should “just kill yourself”.

It is not clear whether he was referring to gay men or straight men who don’t like oral sex.

Times: Scuffles at anti-gay marriage march

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130325/world/Scuffles-at-anti-gay-marriage-march.462889
Monday, March 25, 2013 by PA


Protesters clashed with riot police officers in Paris yesterday. Photo: PA

Paris riot police fought back crowds who pushed their way on to Paris’s landmark Champs-Elysées avenue as part of a huge protest against a draft law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

Hundreds of thousands of people – conservative activists, children, retired people, priests – converged on the capital yesterday in a last bid to stop the bill, many bussed in from the French provinces.

Malta Today: Gay marriage opponents mass take to Parisian streets for final rally

Hundreds of thousands of people take part in final protest in Paris against bill to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/world/Gay-marriage-opponents-mass-take-to-Parisian-streets-for-final-rally-20130325
Monday 25 March 2013 - 09:07 by Nestor Laiviera


Opinion polls suggest a majority of French people still support gay marriage but their numbers have fallen in recent weeks.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a final protest in Paris against a bill to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption.

There were scuffles and police fired tear gas as the protest spilled over onto the Champs Elysees, the avenue which runs past the president's palace.

Huffington Post: New Health Warning for Men Who Have Sex With Men: Help Spread the Word!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-broder/gay-meningitis-outbreak-new-york-city_b_2932956.html
03/22/2013 by Michael Broder

Read more

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Six months after issuing its first alert about a deadly meningitis outbreak among gay men in New York City, the Department of Health (DOH) has expanded its vaccine recommendations to include all gay men, regardless of HIV status, throughout New York City, not just in certain Brooklyn neighborhoods.

This is a change from the recommendations issued last September and discussed by Phillip M. Miner in a blog post here on The Huffington Post. Those guidelines recommended the vaccine specifically for gay men who had hooked up for sex either through gay social media (like Grindr or Adam4Adam, for example) or at a bar or party at any point since Sept. 1, 2012. The DOH said that this recommendation applied to men throughout New York City if they were HIV-positive, and to gay men regardless of their HIV status if they lived in specific Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Dumbo, East New York, Prospect Heights and Williamsburg.

Gay Star News: Cardinal O'Brien accused of sex assault in Rome drinks party

Cardinal O'Brien accused of attempting to grope a priest during a Rome drinking party, while serving as Cardinal

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/cardinal-obrien-accused-sex-assault-rome-drinks-party170313
17 MARCH 2013 | BY DAN LITTAUER

Cardinal Keith O’Brien is alleged to have attempted to grope a priest in Rome on the night of a drinks party celebrating him becoming a ‘prince of the Church’ in October 2003.

The party where O’Brien allegedly tried to grope a man was attended by a noteable bishops and dignitaries.

This is the first direct allegation against the Cardinal and sexual misconduct at the heart of the Catholic Church.

Independent UK: Christian B&B owners sued over refusing gay guests can now turn away homosexual couples

Peter and Hazelmary Bull have reopened the Chymorvah Hotel as a non-profit organisation

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/christian-bb-owners-sued-over-refusing-gay-guests-can-now-turn-away-homosexual-couples-8545706.html
22.3.2013

A Christian couple who broke equality laws when they refused to let a gay couple stay in a double room in their bed and breakfast will now be able to legally turn away homosexual couples after becoming a not-for-profit organisation.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull were subject to international condemnation when they refused to let Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy share a room at the Chymorvah Hotel in Marazion, Cornwall in 2008, citing their religious beliefs. Mr Hall and his civil parner Mr Preddy successfully sued the Bulls for £3,600 in 2011, in a landmark case after it was found that the men had been discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation under the Equality Act.

Times: Muscat discusses church-state agreement and civil unions with bishops

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130322/local/muscat-discusses-church-state-agreement-and-civil-unions-with-bishops.462509
Friday, March 22, 2013, 13:06 by Kristina Chetcuti


Click on the hyperlink above to watch the video. Video: Mark Zammit Cordina

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be formally writing to the Holy See to set the ball rolling for discussions to revise the 1992 Church-State agreement.

Addressing the press following a private meeting with Archbishop Paul Cremona and Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna, the Prime Minister said that as part of the government court reform, the civil marriage law will no longer subordinate to the Ecclesiastical Tribunal.

Malta Today: [WATCH] Church tribunals to no longer be superior to civil courts on marriage annulment

Prime Minister forges ahead with 'clear separation of Church and State', in meeting held with Archbishop Paul Cremona.
http://maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Church-tribunals-to-no-longer-be-superior-to-civil-courts-on-marriage-annulment-20130322

Friday 22 March 2013 - 12:15 by Miriam Dalli


Prime Minister Joseph Muscat with Archbishop Paul Cremona and auxiliary bishop Charles Scicluna. (Photo: Ray Attard/MediaToday)

The Maltese government is to inform the Holy See that it intends amending its national laws which under the 1992 Church-State agreement subsumed the Maltese courts to the authority of the Ecclesiastical tribunals.

Washington Post: Academy of Pediatrics backs gay marriage; says kids raised in such families do just as well

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/influential-pediatricians-group-backs-gay-marriage-says-kids-raised-that-way-do-just-as-well/2013/03/20/2982882a-91b8-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html?hpid=z3#
By Associated Press, 21.3.2013

CHICAGO — The nation’s most influential pediatrician’s group says gays should be allowed to marry to help ensure the health and well-being of their children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ new policy, published online Thursday, cites research showing that the parents’ sexual orientation has no effect on a child’s development. Kids fare just as well in gay or straight families when they are nurturing and financially and emotionally stable, the academy says.

The academy believes that a two-parent marriage is best equipped to provide that kind of environment. Their policy says that if a child has two gay parents who choose to marry, “it is in the best interests of their children that legal and social institutions allow and support them to do so.”

BBC News: Early HIV drugs 'functionally cure about one in 10'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21783945
15 March 2013 Last updated at 09:38 GMT by James Gallagher

HIV, in green, bursting out of a white blood cell it has hijacked

Rapid treatment after HIV infection may be enough to "functionally cure" about a 10th of those diagnosed early, say researchers in France.

They have been analysing 14 people who stopped therapy, but have since shown no signs of the virus resurging.

It follows reports of a baby girl being effectively cured after very early treatment in the US.

DOI: Ministers and Portfolios [Dr Helena Dalli]

http://gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Pages/2013/March/12/pr0391.aspx

Department of Information, Malta - Press Release 391. Issued:13.3.2013

[Excerpt from the press release.]

Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties
Minister: Dr Helena Dalli

Social Dialogue
Civil Liberties
Equality
Data Protection
Non-Governmental and Voluntary Organisations
Competition and Consumer Affairs
Medicines Authority
Industrial and Employment Relations

The Stirrer: From Mardi Gras to Malta

http://www.thestirrer.com.au/from-madri-gras-to-malta/
by: Joseph Chetcuti

March 13, 2013 - featured, The Gay Agenda - Tagged: 78er, election, Malta, Mardi Gras - no comments

Auberge de Castille, Valetta, Malta, by Rosemary Dukelow

Sydney. 2 March 2013. A Saturday Morning

I take to Glebe Point Road, the road of my memories. I brave the weather and head for Broadway Centre where I plan to meet Greg Fardell, a fellow 78er. He is having a haircut. I go about looking for a bag for my camera equipment.

A long day lies ahead. It is, after all, the 35th anniversary of the Mardi Gras. We, the 78ers, have been invited to lead the parade. Some will travel on foot along Oxford and Flinders Streets before finishing at Moore Park. Others, less mobile or perhaps wanting a more relaxing view of the 300,000 crowd that has gathered to watch the parade, will ride on top a double-decker bus, covered with Generations of Love banners.

Huffington Post: Pope Francis Against Gay Marriage, Gay Adoption

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/pope-francis-gay-marriage-anti_n_2869221.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
Posted: 03/13/2013 4:57 pm EDT | Updated: 03/13/2013 7:14 pm EDT, By Cavan Sieczkowski

[Click on the hyperlink above to watch the video.]

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a 76-year-old Argentinean, was chosen as the first Latin American pope on Wednesday. He will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics asPope Francis. While his selection may be historic, it may also mean more of the same when it comes to gay rights in the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis is a conservative who is anti-gay marriage and anti-gay adoption. He has described same-sex marriage as the work of the devil and a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” He has also said that gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children.

In 2010, Francis championed against a bill for same-sex marriage and gay adoption, according to the National Catholic Register.

L-Orizzont: Drittijiet ċivili

http://www.orizzont.com.mt/oldarticles/article103058.html

12.3.13 (?)

Meta sal-bieraħ kien għadu għaddej il-proċess tal-għadd tal-voti fin-Naxxar, kienu bosta dawk li hedew f’ħafna analiżi tas-soltu tar-riżultati miksubin mill-partiti ewlenin fl-Elezzjoni Ġenerali tas-Sibt li għadda. Kif stqarr tajjeb Dr Joseph Muscat mal-ħatra tiegħu bħala Prim Ministru, il-poplu ma bagħatx biss messaġġ qawwi li ried bidla fil-Gvern, imma wkoll li kien xeba’ għal kollox mill-politika tal-imgħoddi li sa qasmet il-pajjiż fi tnejn għal għexieren ta’ snin. Minn meta nħatar Mexxej tal-Partit Laburista, Muscat wera mill-ewwel li ried jagħmel bidla mill-qiegħ u fi kliemu stess ried iwettaq terremot. Kienu ħafna li fl-2008 ddubitaw kemm mill-idea li jseħħ dan it-terremot intern kif ukoll jekk qattx seta’ jseħħ. Iżda llum meta nħarsu lura lejn erba’ snin u nofs ilu qabel ħa t-tmun f’idejh, kulħadd kapaċi jara faċilment il-bidla impressjonanti li ġab dan il-Mexxej f’perjodu relattivament qasir. Il-PL iġġedded mill-qiegħ, sar partit modern, infetaħ aktar għall-ideat tal-poplu u fuq kollox ittrasforma ruħu f’moviment nazzjonali ta’ progressivi u moderati. Għall-ewwel, ftit kienu dawk li fehmu u forsi emmnu bis-sħiħ fil-ħolma ta’ Muscat, inklużi nies fi ħdan l-istess partit li jistqarru li ma fehmux il-bidliet li ried iwettaq dan il-viżjonarju żagħżugħ. Madankollu ma’ kull xahar li beda jgħaddi, rajna l-moviment dejjem jikber u jsir id-dar naturali ta’ eluf ta’ Maltin u Għawdxin, inklużi dawk li qatt ma ħolmu li jersqu daqstant qrib il-PL jew inkella l-politika inġenerali. Sar moviment li beda jisma’ sew x’għandhom xi jgħidu n-nies. Fehem l-uġigħ tal-poplu u ta widen bil-fatti lill-minoranzi kollha.

Times: Same-sex marriage bill passes vote

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/world/same-sex-marriage-bill-passes-vote.461226
Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 11:58 by PA

New Zealand politicians have again voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Bill allowing same-sex marriage, virtually assuring its passage into law in the coming weeks.

They supported the Bill by 77 votes to 44 in the second of three votes that must be taken before a Bill can become law. The third vote is likely to be little more than a formality.

More than 200 people crammed into the Wellington Parliament's public gallery to watch politicians debate the Bill before they voted at about 10.15pm.

The mostly young crowd clapped and cheered for politicians who spoke in support of the Bill while sitting in silence for many who spoke in opposition.

New Zealand already has same-sex civil union laws which confer many legal rights to gay couples.

Spiegel: Gay in China: Suffering in a Marriage of Convenience

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/life-remains-difficult-for-gays-and-lesbians-in-china-a-887674.html
By Stefan Schultz in Tianjin, China


Getty Images

Xiao Bin is gay, but has been married to a woman for the last seven years. His fate is no different from that of up to 90 percent of gay men in China. The society is slowly changing, but pressures heaped on same-sex couples remain huge.

While Xiao's wife was in the bathroom showering and putting on her makeup, Xiao's lover Lian slid under the covers with him. Xiao pulled Lian close, embraced him and kissed him. After a few minutes, Lian slipped out again. Officially, Lian was an employee in Xiao's restaurant, a small establishment located directly under Xiao's apartment in the city of Tianjin.

Times: In need of our prayers (2)

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130308/letters/In-need-of-our-prayers-2-.460667
Friday, March 8, 2013 by Miriam Vella Gregory, Swatar

I am a very busy person and do not usually have time to waste with such bigoted people as Joe Zammit. However, I must admit that sheer anger got the better of me when reading his latest ‘divine revelation’, a letter entitled Pastoral Care Of Homosexuals (February 27).

Would he have us believe that when, in the book of Genesis, we read that when God created man in His own image and likeness, He was really only referring to heterosexuals because He actually had one’s sexual orientation in mind? As far as I know, He made us all.

Times: Before I shut up

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130307/blogs/before-i-shut-up.460623
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 18:42 by Alison Bezzina

Election fever makes people say and do all sorts of things. Yesterday, an old friend of mine publically ‘accused’ me of being selfish. She told me that my support for Alternattiva Demokratika is based solely on my wanting gay marriage to be introduced in Malta.

She went on to inform me that my priorities are wrong, and that before thinking about gay marriage we should first make sure that Malta’s economy is stable and, that we are serene.

Malta Today: Maltese women still face challenge to enjoy their human rights

Human rights advocates Aditus say transgender and migrant risk becoming socially marginalised without access to integration services.

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Maltese-women-still-face-challenge-to-enjoy-their-human-rights-20130306
Thursday 7 March 2013 - 08:00

Women in Malta continue to face a series of challenges effectively limiting their human rights enjoyment, human rights advocacy group Aditus Foundation said in a comment on the annual commemoration of International Women's Day.

Aditus director Neil Falzon said that in 2010, the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women urged Malta to ensure a comprehensive, national policy targeting stereotypical attitudes that treat women solely as mothers, wives and caregivers, undermining their equal dignity and status in other sectors of civic life.

Times: Change, But Why, Precisely?

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130306/blogs/change-but-why-precisely.460476
Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 22:07 by Andrew Borg Cardona

It’s fascinating how Joseph Muscat has managed to beguile some people, albeit because many of them have critical faculties that have been dulled by their infatuation with him or by their over-arching self-absorbtion. Promise these types a roof over an open-air performance space, a shoulder to whinge on and make a regally condescending gesture their way and they’re yours, rolling onto their backs and wagging their tails.

He tells us he’s liberal and progressive and then hints at push-back, even while getting friendly with the Muslim community. I know that your common-or-garden Labour supporter tends towards the conservative, the insular and the intolerant, but combining all this in one breath is pretty good going.

YouTube: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE feat. MARY LAMBERT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0

Times: A better world

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130305/letters/A-better-world.460236
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 by Paul Kennedy, Għarb

I admire Joe Zammit’s tenacity on the subject of homosexuality and I applaud his considerable scholarship in marshalling both modern and ancient texts to justify and support his distaste. I have perceived, however, in his most recent edicts to both The Times and The Sunday Times, an increasing reliance on lengthy quotation and a diminishing of his willingness to write “in the first person”. This change of tactic has been counter-productive, as his recent magisterial missives have lost the entertainment value and sensationalism of the earlier letters written from the heart, not the scholar’s head.

Malta Today: ‘History to judge us by what is right’ - Muscat

Labour leader Joseph Muscat makes an impassionate plea for the introduction of more civil rights including the right of civil union to the LGBT community.

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/elections2013/History-to-judge-us-by-what-is-right-Muscat-20130305
Tuesday 5 March 2013 - 20:47 by Miriam Dalli


Labour leader Joseph Muscat addressing the crowd in Bormla.

In what could be described as the best he gave during this 60-day long campaign, Labour leader Joseph Muscat delivered the most impassionate and heartfelt speech of all in which he urged the electorate to join him in introducing new civil rights for the LGBT community.

Starting off his speech by reiterating that the 9 March choice was between doing away with the politics of the past and moving towards a new way of doing politics, Muscat slowly built up a momentum which took him to call for a more inclusive society and a new government which would give homosexuals and trans persons the right to form a civil union.

Independent: Homosexual Prelates

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-03-03/letters/homosexual-prelates-1024655361/
Sunday, 03 March 2013, 09:00 by John Guillaumier, St. Julian's

On 24 January 2000, the local media reported that Cardinal Thomas Winning of Scotland “described homosexuals as ‘perverts’”. This insult to his fellow human beings has now come back to haunt him in his grave after a fellow Scottish prelate, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, resigned after being accused of “inappropriate behaviour” towards other priests. How ironic it is that Archbishop O’Brien, an outspoken critic of homosexuals, is now himself being accused of inappropriate behaviour with other men over a period of 30 years!

Times: U.S. baby's HIV infection cured through very early treatment

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130304/world/u-s-baby-s-hiv-infection-cured-through-very-early-treatment.460109
Monday, March 4, 2013, 13:40

[Click here to watch the video on BBC News.]


Dr. Deborah Persaud, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

A baby girl in Mississippi who was born with HIV has been cured after very early treatment with standard HIV drugs, U.S. researchers reported, in a potentially ground-breaking case that could offer insights on how to eradicate HIV infection in its youngest victims.

The child's story is the first account of an infant achieving a so-called functional cure, a rare event in which a person achieves remission without the need for drugs and standard blood tests show no signs that the virus is making copies of itself.

Times: ‘I fought Government on transgender issue’

Woman angered by Gonzi’s reference to her marriage battle
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130303/local/-I-fought-Government-on-transgender-issue-.459927
Sunday, March 3, 2013 by Claudia Calleja


Joanne Cassar has been fighting for her right to marry for seven years.

Joanne Cassar, who had a sex change, is “angry and upset” that the Prime Minister said he would address transgender issues when his government had been contesting her right to marry for the past seven years.
Actions speak louder than words

The 31-year-old hairdresser has a pending case against the Government, before the European Court of Human Rights, for breaching her rights by refusing to issue marriage banns after her gender was changed to female on her birth certificate.

Times: PL and AD respond to LGBT poll

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130303/local/PL-and-AD-respond-to-LGBT-poll.459929
Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Malta Gay Rights Movement said yesterday only Labour and Alternattiva Demokratika replied to a questionnaire it sent to the three main political parties requesting their positions on a number of LGBT rights and issues.

The movement said AD’s positions remain the most similar to those of MGRM. It said Labour proposes civil unions at par with marriage but not marriage equality “for this next legislative period”.

Independent: Lech Walesa shocks Poland with Anti-Gay words

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-03-03/news/lech-walesa-shocks-poland-with-anti-gay-words-1033043969/

Sunday, 03 March 2013, 14:13



Lech Walesa, the Polish democracy icon and Nobel peace prize winner, has sparked outrage in Poland by saying that gays have no right to a prominent role in politics and that as a minority they need to "adjust to smaller things."

Some commentators are now suggesting that Walesa, the leading figure in Poland's successful democracy struggle against communism, has irreparably harmed his legacy.

Independent UK: Research confirms same-sex couples are just as good at parenting as heterosexuals

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/children-in-gay-adoptions-at-no-disadvantage-8518004.html
Sunday 03 March 2013 by Jonathan Owen

Fears that children adopted by gay and lesbian couples do less well in life are completely unfounded, according to the first study into how children and parents in non-traditional families fare compared with heterosexual households.

The findings, from the University of Cambridge's Centre for Family Research, will be published in a report by the British Association of Adoption and Fostering tomorrow. Researchers found that gay and lesbian parents are at least as good at coping with the demands of parenting. Children do not suffer any disadvantage, and the vast majority are not bullied at school, but the report warns: "Bullying and teasing are much more of a problem in secondary schools than primary schools; thus, only follow-up will reveal how things turn out in the future."

Times: AD presses government to withdraw European Court submissions against Joanne Cassar

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130302/elections-news/ad-presses-government-to-withdraw.459847
Saturday, March 2, 2013, 13:02

Alternattiva Demokratika’s Michael Briguglio and Silvan Agius this afternoon reiterated their call to the government to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights case against transgender Joanne Cassar.

They were speaking during a visit to Ms Cassar at her salon in Fgura following a promise by the Prime Minister two days ago that he would address transgender issues.

An angry Ms Cassar, 31, said the government had been contesting her right to marry for the past seven years.

Times: Government committed to transgender rights – Gonzi

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130301/local/Government-committed-to-transgender-rights-Gonzi.459733
Friday, March 1, 2013 by Christian Peregin



Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday said his party was committed to addressing the issues faced by transgender individuals in the next legislature.

Interviewed in Għargħur by Celine Falzon, herself a transsexual, Dr Gonzi was asked why the Government failed to move the Gender Identity Bill presented to Parliament by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo. He was also asked why no reference was made to this in the Nationalist Party’s manifesto.

Malta Today: AD is 'natural choice' on civil rights and liberties - Briguglio

Green Party chairperson Michael Briguglio says AD is at the forefront on divorce, free speech, decriminalisation of drugs for personal use, LGBT rights, minority rights and secularization.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/elections2013/AD-is-natural-choice-on-civil-rights-and-liberties-Briguglio-20130302
Saturday 2 March 2013 - 11:34 by a Staff Reporter

Michael Briguglio (Photo: MediaToday/Ray Attard)

Alternattiva Demokratika is the natural choice for persons who believe in civil rights and civil liberties, AD Chairperson Michael Briguglio said.

Speaking in a press conference in Valletta this morning, Briguglio said: "AD has constantly been on the forefront for the introduction of civil rights and liberties in Malta. In issues such as divorce, free speech, decriminalisation of drugs for personal use, LGBT rights, minority rights and secularization, AD has a historic role to speak up for such issues".

TVM: Transgender: AD calls on government to withdraw Malta’s submission against Joanne Cassar in Strasbourg

http://tvm.com.mt/news/2013/03/transgender-ad-calls-on-government-to-withdraw-maltas-submission-against-joanne-cassar-in-strasbourg/
2.3.2013; TVM News / Elections 2013 / Featured Videos / Malta / News

[Click on the hyperlink above to watch the videos.]

A delegation of AD representatives, including Chairperson Michael Briguglio, AD candidates Silvan Agius, Robert Callus and Angele Deguara, and Pascal Aloisio.

Following a question received from Celine Falzon during a meeting earlier today, Prime Minister Gonzi stated that PN will introduce gender recognition legislation for transgender persons during the next legislature should it be re-elected in government. He also stated that the reason for which parliament never discussed the transgender recognition private members bill was lack of time.

iNews Malta: Il-PN ma jweġibx lill-MGRM

http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20130302-il-pn-ma-jwe-ibx-lill-mgrm
15:17 | 02.03.2013

Il-Partit Nazzjonalista ma weġibx kwestjonarju mibgħut lilu mill-Malta Gay Rights Movement, bħalma jiġri f'kull elezzjoni l-MGRM tibgħat lill-partiti u titlob il-pożizzjoni tagħhom dwar għadd ta' temi marbuta ma' persuni LGBT. Jirriżulta li filwaqt l-Alternattiva Demokratika u l-Partit Laburista wieġbu dan il-kwestjonarju. Il-Partit Nazzjonalista m'għamlux dan.

Fi stqarrija, kif mistenni l-MGRM qalet li l-poiżizzjoni tal-AD tibqa' l-aktar waħda qrib tal-lobby LGBT.

Times: AD's position on LGBT rights closest to MGRM

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130302/elections-news/ad-s-position-on-lgbt-rights-closest-to-mgrm.459852
Saturday, March 2, 2013, 15:09

Alternattiva Demokratika’s position on LGBT rights and issues is the closest to that of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, the movement said in a statement.

It said that as in past elections, it sent a questionnaire to the three main political parties requesting their positions and responses were received from the Labour Party and AD.

Times: Marriage equality for all

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130302/opinion/Marriage-equality-for-all.459827
Saturday, March 2, 2013 by Silvan Agius

Many arguments have been made for and against marriage equality (or, as it is widely known, same-sex marriage). Some people believe that, in view of an absence of a national consensus on the matter, it is still early to attempt to raise the issue on a legislative level.

Others argue that, while there is a need for the State to legislate in this area, registered partnerships should suffice. I disagree and believe that you should too.

Di-ve: AD – Marriage rights for Transgender people

http://www.di-ve.com/elections-2013/ad-%E2%80%93-marriage-rights-transgender-people
2.3.2013; editorial@di-ve.com


Photo: Chris Mangion/di-ve.com

AD calls upon the Maltese government to withdraw its submissions against Joanne Cassar with immediate effect, and remove the legal obstacles against her ability to marry.

AD Chairperson Michael Briguglio said that the Government not only failed to progress the legislation that was tabled through a private member’s bill and fought Joanne Cassar all the way to the Constitutional Court to deny her the fundamental right to marry her male partner, this in spite of clear European Court of Human Rights case-law dating back to 2002.

iNews Malta: Kliem Gonzi jweġġa’ lil Joanne Cassar… tgħidlu “Shame on You”

http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20130301-kliem-gonzi-jwe-lil-joanne-cassar-tg-idlu-shame-on-you
14:17 | 01.03.2013

Il-każ ta’ Joanne Cassar, persuna transgender li l-istat Malti rrifjutalha d-dritt li tiżżewweġ illum qiegħed quddiem il-Qorti Ewropea għad-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem. Joanne Cassar vs Malta jaqra l-isem tal-każ.

Fl-2006, Joanne Cassar, flimkien ma' dak li kien l-għarus tagħha applikaw biex jinħarġulhom it-tnedijiet taż-żwieġ mir-Reġistratur taż-Żwiġijiet. Dawn ma nħarġux minkejja li Cassar kienet għamlet operazzjoni fejn bidlet is-sess tagħha. Fil-fatt, riżultat ta’ din l-operazzjoni hija setgħet tibdel is-sess tagħha minn fuq il-karta tal-identità u ċ-ċertifikat tat-twelid.

Malta Today: Nationalists leave gay vote waiting for answers to MGRM questions

Labour will not allow sperm donation and access to gay parents to IVF services.

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/elections2013/Nationalists-leave-gay-vote-waiting-for-answers-to-MGRM-questions-20130302
Saturday 2 March 2013 - 16:18 by Matthew Vella



They kick-started their campaign with an emblem that mimicked the hues of Maltese diversity, inviting voters to - Lawrence Gonzi's words - "feel welcome, whatever their lifestyle, their colour, or their sexual orientation... we're the party that believed in the freedom of expression, and for whom diversity will be the main ingredient in its policies."

FULL position paper and questionnaire [OPENS PDF]

Times: Flimsy same-sex parents studies

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130301/opinion/Flimsy-same-sex-parents-studies.459702
Friday, March 1, 2013 by Frank Muscat

In the 2012 issue of the scholarly journal Social Science Research, two studies about same-sex parenting were published, one by Louisiana State University associate professor Loren Marks and the other by University of Texas associate professor Mark Regnerus.

Both studies challenge the established claim made in 2005 by the American Association of Psychologists that children’s development of same-sex parenting is no different from that of other children raised by heterosexual parents.

Di-ve: AD calls on transgender recognition legislation

http://www.di-ve.com/elections-2013/ad-calls-transgender-recognition-legislation
1.3.2013 editorial@di-ve.com

AD Chairperson Michael Briguglio condemned the government for failing to put forward the transgender recognition Private Member’s Bill and for denying Joanne Cassar her fundamental human right to marry her male partner.

The AD called for the Government to withdraw its case against Joanne Cassar and remove any legal obstacles that may hinder her right to marry.

iNews Malta: Gonzi jwiegħed liġi 'transesswali' fil-leġistaura li jmiss

http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20130228-gonzi-jwieg-ed-li-transesswali-fil-le-istaura-li-jmiss
John Pisani | 19:47 | 28.02.2013

Il-Prim Ministru Lawrence Gonzi ta x’jifhem li anke hu se jibda jirċievi ċekk fis-sena bħalma qed jirċievu residenti li joqogħdu fl-inħawi tal-impjant ta’ riċiklaġġ f’Wied il-Għajn.

F’attività bit-tema “Int u l-Prim Ministru” li saret illejla f’Ħal Għargħur, Lawrence Gonzi kien intervistat mill-personalità televiżiva u stilista tax-xagħar Celine. Hija staqsietu jekk iċ-ċekk li rċeviet, peress li hi toqgħod Wied il-Għajn, kienx xi ħaġa ta’ qabel l-elezzjoni. Fir-risposta tiegħu Dr Gonzi qal – “le dak se nibdew nirċievuh kull sena” u dan għax anke hu joqgħod fl-istess inħawi.

Times: Obama makes case for gay marriage

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130301/world/obama-makes-case-for-gay-marriage.459597
Friday, March 1, 2013, 09:22 by PA


Photo: Reuters

Barack Obama's administration has asked the US Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage and take a sceptical view of similar bans elsewhere, making a historic argument for gay rights.

The administration's friend-of-the-court brief marked the first time a US president has urged the high court to expand the right of gays and lesbians to wed.

Times: Withdraw submissions against Joanne Cassar, AD tells government

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130301/elections-news/withdraw-submitssions-against-joanne-cassar-ad-tells-government.459598
Friday, March 1, 2013, 09:38

Alternattiva Demokratika this morning called on the government to withdraw its submissions against transgender Joanne Cassar with immediate effect, and remove the legal obstacles against her ability to marry right away.



Referring to a statement by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday that the PN will introduce gender recognition legislation for transgender persons during the next legislature should it be re-elected in government, AD chairman Michael Briguglio said:

Malta Today: Greens - Gonzi caught up in betrayal of trans persons’ rights

While government fights Joanne Cassar's claim in Strasbourg to have full rights as woman, Gonzi says next PN government will introduce gender recognition law.

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/elections2013/Greens-Gonzi-caught-up-in-betrayal-of-trans-persons-rights-20130301
Friday 1 March 2013 - 10:18 by Matthew Vella


Joanne Cassar has spent years in courts fighting for her legal rights to be recognised as a woman with the right to marry.

Alternattiva Demokratika, the Green Party, has called on the Maltese government to remove its submissions to the European Court of Human Rights in a petition filed by Joanne Cassar to be recognised as a woman with full rights.

Cassar, a transgender person who has been fighting for her right to get married since 2006, took her case to the European Court, asking for an effective remedy after a Constitutional Court in Malta ruled that a ban on transgender marriage violated the right to marry.

Independent: PN Government will Legislate to Protect LGBT Rights - PM

http://www.independent.com.mt/mobile/2013-02-28/news/pn-government-will-legislate-to-protect-lgbt-rights-pm-1004306433/
Thursday, 28 February 2013, 19:57 , by Keith Micallef

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Thursday evening pledged that a PN government will legislate to protect the rights of the LGBT community.

Dr Gonzi made this promise when interviewed by Celine Paris who features in the popular Net Television drama series Dejavu.

Times: PM promises legislation on transgender issues

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130228/elections-news/pm-promises-to-address.459586
Thursday, February 28, 2013, 19:43



PM promises legislation on transgender issues. [Click on the hyperlink above to watch the video.]

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening that the Nationalist Party was committed to addressing the issues faced by transgender individuals in the next legislature.

Interviewed in Gharghur by Celine Falzon, herself a transsexual, Dr Gonzi was asked why the Government failed to move the Gender Identity Bill presented in Parliament by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo. Dr Gonzi was also asked why there was no reference made to this in the PN's manifesto.

Times: Pastoral care of homosexuals

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130227/letters/Pastoral-care-of-homosexuals.459393
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 by Joe Zammit, Paola

On October 1, 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent a letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. This letter was approved by Blessed Pope John Paul II. Among other things we read the following: “The characteristic concern and goodwill exhibited by many clergy and religious in their pastoral care for homosexual persons is admirable. Such devoted ministers should have the confidence that they are faithfully following the will of the Lord by encouraging the homosexual person to lead a chaste life and by affirming that person’s God-given dignity and worth” (para 13).

“We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses. No authentic pastoral programme will include organisations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral. A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin.

Malta Today: Debate reveals Gonzi tied to power and Muscat hawkish on migration

Greens would be coalition partner for both Labour and Nationalists if elected to power – leaders

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/elections2013/Debate-reveals-Gonzi-tied-to-power-and-Muscat-hawkish-on-migration-20130226
Tuesday 26 February 2013 - 22:56 by Matthew Vella



Herman Grech's quick-fire 'yes or no' question session gave us the most revealing aspects of the two leaders in tonight's Big Debate, hosted by The Times at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat is, worryingly, in favour of a pushback policy if Libya can be considered to be a safe country of origin - Lawrence Gonzi is ready to hold a referendum on spring hunting. Two of the most European issues, in which the purported centre-left leader is to the right, while the prime minister who champions his party's EU credentials is not ready to bite the bullet and enforce the EU's ban on spring hunting once and for all.

Times: Change in the Church (1)

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130226/letters/Change-in-the-Church-1-.459274
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 by Paul Kennedy, Għarb

Any election, such as the general election currently under way in Malta, is a precious opportunity for evolution, for ditching out-of-date unworkable practices and attitudes, and embracing a new, inclusive order. Man’s capacity to adapt to change is the prime reason for our survival and, as a species, our unparallelled success. Malta is currently blessed to be in this situation of ideological introspection and cultural evolution.

How dismayed I was, therefore, to read in an English newspaper about the second favourite cardinal to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, the black Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, saying that “Homosexuality is not countenanced in our (African) society”.