Sunday 31 May 2015

YouTube: The Face of HIV/AIDS: Then and Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8a-0WJ6y-s



Published on 27 May 2015

The Face of HIV / AIDS: Then and Now
For more videos, visit www.hivequal.org
Follow me on Twitter @iamtylercurry

Times: Woman cleared of defiling her underage lesbian lover

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150529/local/woman-cleared-of-defiling-her-underage-lesbian-lover.570187
Friday, May 29, 2015, 12:09 by Matthew Xuereb

A woman was this morning cleared of defiling her 16-year-old lesbian lover when they were caught by the minor's mother kissing in the car.

The court ruled that there was no evidence to prove that the 28-year-old woman from Marsa, whose name cannot be published by court order, had defiled an underage girl who she had been dating for two weeks.

ABC News: Reduced Child Abuse Sentence Causes Uproar in Argentina

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reduced-child-abuse-sentence-uproar-argentina-31129194
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — May 18, 2015, 5:40 PM ET [1 Comment]

Two Argentine judges are under fire for reducing the sentence of a convicted child abuser on the grounds that his 6-year-old victim had suffered earlier abuse and therefore had already been traumatized.

In the newly publicized 2014 ruling, the judges cut the sentence of Mario Tolosa, a sports club vice president, from six years to 38 months. They ruled that his acts should not be considered "gravely outrageous" in legal terms because the boy already "was making a precocious choice" of his sexuality, apparently a reference to homosexuality.

Times: Irish gay marriage vote defeat for all humanity - Vatican

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150528/world/Irish-gay-marriage-vote-defeat-for-all-humanity-Vatican.570045
Thursday, May 28, 2015, 00:01 by Reuters



A woman glances at a window decorated in favour of same sex marriage in central Dublin, Ireland.
Photo: Reuters

The Irish vote to allow same-sex marriage was a “defeat for humanity”, a senior Vatican official said yesterday in the first high-level reaction from the Holy See to last week’s landmark referendum.

“Not a defeat for Christian principles, it was a defeat for humanity,” Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in comments quoted by Vatican Radio. “I was very saddened by this result.”

Sunday 24 May 2015

Irish Independent 'I laughed along with the homophobic chatter - then my son came out'

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/referendum/i-laughed-along-with-the-homophobic-chatter-then-my-son-came-out-31243276.html
22/05/2015 | 02:30 by 22/05/2015 | 02:30 Tom Hickey


Hickey with Gabriel Byrne during his time in college as president of the Trinity College Philosophical Society.

Homosexuals didn't exist when I was growing up. I never knowingly met one, never really thought about them until I came across the story of Oscar Wilde. To say I was shocked was putting it mildly: I simply couldn't comprehend two men having sex with one another. And lesbians? Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather.

As I grew older, I noticed a few effeminate characters who I assumed - without ever knowing definitively - were homosexual. Television played a large part in how I viewed them. These were guys with exaggerated mannerisms and squeaky voices. Queers in other words. How we laughed at one of our classmates who certainly fitted the description.

BBC News: Gay marriage Yes vote shows how much Republic of Ireland has changed

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32858142
23 May 2015

There were emotional scenes as referendum votes were counted in Dublin

The BBC's Shane Harrison looks at how the Republic of Ireland's vote in favour of legalising same-sex marriage caps an extraordinary week for the country.

The Republic has become the first country in the world to introduce same-sex marriage in a popular vote, just days after the Prince of Wales visited Mullaghmore in County Sligo where his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in 1979.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Independent: MCAST celebrates day against homophobia with mass, discussion and play

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-05-19/local-news/MCAST-celebrates-day-against-homophobia-with-mass-discussion-and-play-6736135772
Tuesday, 19 May 2015, 08:20


[Last week] MCAST celebrated the day against homophobia by holding Mass at the MCAST Chapel and by organising a play and discussion.

The play, written by Ray Mangion and directed by Marina Sceberras and Elysia Marie Farrugia, was held in the canteen area at MCAST Main Campus, and aimed at provoking people to think about how attitudes and language impact those who are different and prevent them from being themselves.

Sunday 17 May 2015

Malta Today: Ireland appears set to vote in favour of gay marriag

National polls indicate country would vote in favour of gay marriage by margin as much as two-to-one

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/world/53051/ireland_appears_set_to_vote_in_favour_of_gay_marriage#.VVhhXrns5hc
17 May 2015, 9:52am by a Staff Reporter



Irish voters are set to back the introduction of gay marriage by a margin of as much as two-to-one in next week’s referendum, a series of polls indicated.

Long considered as one of the most socially conservative countries in Western Europe, support for gay rights has surged in Ireland in recent decades as the power of the Catholic Church collapsed.

Thursday 14 May 2015

Malta Today: Historic leap in equality as Malta rises to third place in ILGA ranking

Malta Gay Rights Movement coordinator, Gabi Calleja: "That Malta is now at the forefront of the struggle for LGBTIQ equality is something that encourages us to continue in our advocacy efforts"

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/52784/historic_leap_in_equality_as_malta_rises_to_third_place_in_ilga_ranking#.VVJGUo7s5hf
10 May 2015, 8:21pm by Matthew Vella


The ILGA Rainbow Europe map 2015


The ILGA 'Rainbow Map' 2014 - click on the magnifying glass above to see the map clearly


Malta has shot up to a historic third ranking in the International Lesbian-Gay Association's 'Rainbow Europe' league, for having advanced in LGBTI rights - namely with the introduction of civil unions and gender identity laws that made worldwide headlines.

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Times: Malta singled out for progress in LGBT issues

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150511/local/malta-singled-out-for-progress-in-lgbt-issues.567727
Monday, May 11, 2015, 09:08



ILGA-Europe has singled out Malta for fast progress in granting equality to trans and intersex people in the latest Rainbow Europe scoreboard.

In a statement, it said that steadfast, committed leadership and visible equality trailblazers are necessary ingredients for advancing LGBTI equality.

Tuesday 12 May 2015

MGRM: Pride March Invite 2015

11.5.2015 by Gabi Calleja, Coordinator, MGRM



We invite you to this year’s Pride March which will bring to a close this year’s Pride activities. The PRIDE MARCH will take place on May 30thgathering at City Gate in Valletta at 3.00pm. This year’s march is being organised in collaboration with AXM.

Saturday 9 May 2015

Pink News: Cyprus government approves civil partnerships

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/05/06/cyprus-government-approves-civil-partnerships/
6th May 2015, 3:06 PM by Naith Payton
The Cabinet has finally approved the long-awaited bill.

The government in Cyprus has approved a bill allowing for same-sex civil partnerships.

The long-awaited bill has gained the approval of the Cabinet, and now passes to the Parliament where it will be voted on.

The bill gives couples in civil partnerships all the benefits of marriage – with the exception of joint adoption.

Wednesday 6 May 2015

LGBTI+ Gozo: Launch

LGBTI + Gozo, is a new NGO formed in April 2014, for the purpose of promoting and raising awareness regarding the LGBTI+ community in Gozo. [Facebook]


[Click on the image to enlarge.]

Saturday 2 May 2015

Times: Crossing of many colours

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150501/opinion/Crossing-of-many-colours
Friday, May 1, 2015, 00:01 by Silvan Agius

In his Talking Point (April 24), Fr Richard-Nazzareno Farrugia expressed his distaste at the inaugural event of the rainbow crossing in Victoria that marked the first anniversary since the enactment of the Civil Unions Act, which crossing was dedicated to the United Nations’ Free & Equal campaign for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people.

The reason? He asserts that the schoolchildren who participated in the event were being subjected to an “imposition of an ideological cultural agenda” by the State and that their crossing over the rainbow was tantamount to a forced participation in an “LGBTI pride parade”.

Times: Rules of crossing the road

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150424/opinion/rules-of-crossing-the-road.565306
Friday, April 24, 2015, 00:01 by Fr Richard-Nazzareno Farrugia

I remember as a young boy reading on Id-Denfil – if my memory serves me right – the rules on how to cross the road. I was taught to always cross a street on a zebra crossing. Society and my educators, even in this respect, taught me to be responsible for my life and that of others, even when crossing the road.

Watching a group of kids crossing a road over rainbow colours seems to be a happy and delightful scene, better than the usual and odd black-and-white stripes on the road.