Saturday 28 June 2014

MGRM: Pride: Family Where Love Matters More
11th July, 19:00 hrs, Valletta

28.6.14 by the Malta Gay Rights Movement

The Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) would like to invite you to this year’s Pride March.  This year’s event is planned to take place on Friday 11th July 2014, gathering at 7pm in St George’s Square, Valletta.

Pride is a symbolic manifestation which is held in many different cities around the world. It aims to increase the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons and is both a celebration of diversity as well as a call for recognition and respect for the dignity and rights of all.

Times: Church must be less judgmental of homosexuals - Vatican

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140626/world/church-must-be-less-judgmental-of-homosexuals-vatican.525156
Thursday, June 26, 2014, 16:36



The Roman Catholic Church must be less judgmental of homosexuals and, while still opposing gay marriage, should welcome children of gay couples into the faith with equal dignity, a Vatican document said today.

A 75-page document, a working paper for the synod of Catholic bishops planned for the Vatican in October to discuss family issues, also said the 1.2 billion member Church should become less exclusive and more humble.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Pink News: Luxembourg passes equal marriage bill by 56-4 landslide

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/06/18/luxembourg-passes-equal-marriage-bill-by-56-4-landslide/
18th June 2014, 6:53 PM by Nick Duffy

Luxembourg has passed equal marriage by a landslide

Luxembourg’s parliament has overwhelmingly passed a same-sex marriage bill, by a vote of 56-4.

The bill introduces equal marriage, in addition to granting adoption rights to same-sex couples.

Luxembourg’s parliament has only one chamber, and so the vote by the Chamber of Deputies has secured the passage of the bill as a whole.

According to the Chamber of Deputies, the law is expected to be in force by early 2015.

Zuntier: The ugly head of homophobia: it’s still there

http://zuntier.com/2014/06/ugly-head-homophobia-still/#.U6B40b38LqB
, , Leave a comment
Print This Post
Isn’t this something old fashioned, from the past? I mean, Homophobia, it’s no longer real, right?
I was not surprised by this question that a local presenter asked me during a popular TV show a few days ago. After all, Malta, like most countries in Europe seems to have become more accepting of people who are different. We boast of our high degree of tolerance and openness and the rapid social change, the introduction of divorce, and the plurality of views one sees on the media all seem to prove that. Moreover, in the past year, the country politically also seems to have made great strides forward: the unanimous parliamentary approval for the constitutional clause making any discrimination on grounds of gender and sexual orientation illegal in our country; the introduction of civil unions, and the substantial number of people who came together in Valletta to celebrate this historic event  . Yes, things do seem to be improving and to be fair, since coming out ‘nationally’, I was not stoned, or kicked or bullied or called names by passer-byes, nor did I lose my job or end up kicked out of my home.
Yet, homophobia is still around …

Buzz Feed: The Story Behind The Rainbow Flag

The colorful flag is used as a symbol of the LGBT community in nearly every corner of the globe, but it all started in San Francisco, CA. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/the-story-behind-the-rainbow-flag
posted on June 25, 2013, at 10:32 p.m. by Sarah Karlan

The rainbow flag is an iconic symbol for the LGBT community:


Keith Tsuji / Getty Images

It’s easily recognized in nearly every corner of the globe:


Tuesday 17 June 2014

Independent: First civil union registered on Friday

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-06-17/news/first-civil-union-registered-on-friday-5503909889/
Tuesday, 17 June 2014, 09:15



Kristina Galea Cavallazzi and Clara Borg became the first gay couple to register their union last Friday.

In a poignant ceremony held in Gozo, Kristina and Clara vowed mutual respect and pledged to take care of each other as a married couple in the presence of family and friends.

The civil union rites were exchanged in Mgarr ix-Xini followed by a reception at Ta’ Cenc Hotel.

iNews Malta: “Issiġillajna r-relazzjoni tagħna” - l-ewwel unjoni ċivili f'Malta

http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20140617-issi-illajna-relazzjoni-tag-na-ewwel-unjoni-ivili-malta
14:40 | 17.06.2014

Ritratt: Kristina (xellug) u Clara: l-ewwel minn sensiela ta' koppji tal-istess sess li, bis-saħħa tal-liġi dwar l-unjonijiet ċivili, qed jifformalizzaw ir-relazzjoni ta' bejniethom.

“Permezz tas-sħubija ċivili, issiġillajna r-relazzjoni tagħna bħalma jagħmlu kwalunkwe tnejn min-nies oħra li jinħabbu u jridu jqattgħu ħajjithom flimkien,” ikkummentaw ma' inewsmalta Kristina Galea-Cavallazzi u Clara Borg, li nhar il-Ġimgħa kienu l-ewwel koppja tal-istess sess li ngħaqdet f'unjoni ċivili minn mindu daħlet il-liġi f'nofs April.

Il-koppja żżewġet f'ċerimonja mill-isbaħ li saret fi Mġarr ix-Xini, u wara sar riċeviment għall-familja u l-ħbieb fil-lukanda Ta' Ċenċ, Għawdex.

Clara Borg hija bint l-eks-Ministru u eks-Kummissarju Ewropew, Joe Borg.

Monday 9 June 2014

Sunday Circle: A Journey of a Thousand Miles

http://www.sundaycircle.com/2014/06/ajourneyofathousandmiles/
June 9, 2014 by Philip Leone-Ganado

At 18 years of age, Somali refugee Farah Abdi has experienced more than some people do in an entire lifetime. He tells Philip Leone-Ganado about fleeing his homeland, coming to terms with his sexuality, and why he believes integration is the only option

In November 2012, a small dinghy carrying 77 migrants arrived in Malta after a three-day journey from Libya. Farah Abdullah Abdi, then just 16 years old, was one of those on board. Nine months earlier, Farah had fled his home in Kenya and set off on a perilous journey into the unknown. In the months that followed, he would be locked up and beaten in South Sudan, cross the Sahara Desert in a pick-up truck, and find himself imprisoned five times while attempting the crossing from Libya.

Arriving in Malta and applying for asylum was the end of that danger for Farah, but it was also the start of another journey: coming to terms with himself and his sexuality, the reason for his flight from family and home, where homosexuality remains illegal, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. “When I arrived, one of the women who helped me realised my difference and said I needed therapy,” he recalls. “I danced around the matter with my psychologist for hours without saying the word.” Even now, it takes him a second to enunciate it. “I am…gay. It doesn’t define me, but it’s part of who I am.”