YouTube: Gay Acrobats Create Stunning Visual Art - THE ARROW [Love. Pride. Truth.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtnJUS30olE



Published on 12 Jul 2016

'The Arrow' is a striking visual representation of a simple story - two male artists who fell in love. From the first time our eyes met, the first embrace, to creating a bond and love that is unbreakable. The video shows two talented men who transform their personal story into an exciting performance to send a powerful message. That we are proud of who we are, the love that we share, and that all love is equal.

MUSIC - "Arrow" by The Irrepressibles - www.facebook.com/theirrepressibles
DIRECTOR - Damian Siqueiros - www.damiansiqueiros.com
CREATION + CONCEPT - Matthew Richardson - facebook.com/circusspinner
EDITOR + ASSISSTANT DIRECTOR - Liliana Ortiz Casas - www.locandmac.com
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - Mateo Hernandez Casis
CAMERAMAN + GAFFER - Camilo Chitiva Zamudio
SECOND CAMERA - Guillermo Castellanos

DOI: STQARRIJA MILL-MINISTERU GĦAS-SAĦĦA: L-ARC b’donazzjoni għal taħriġ għall-istaff mediku tal-GU Clinic

https://gov.mt/en/Government/Press%20Releases/Pages/2016/July/18/pr161611.aspx

Reference Number: PR161611, Press Release Issue Date: Jul 18, 2016

L-Allied Rainbow Communities (ARC) din il-ġimgħa ppreżentaw donazzjoni ta’ ’l fuq minn €2,000 lill-Ministru għas-Saħħa, Chris Fearne. Din id-donazzjoni ntużat biex tliet persuni mill-istaff mediku tal-GU Clinic ingħataw taħriġ speċjalizzat f’St Mary Hospital ta’ Londra u fl-isptar ta’ Bertinoro fl-Italja.

Dan it-taħriġ għen biex l-istaff tal-GU Clinic iżid l-għarfien tiegħu kemm fuq mard trasmess sesswalment, kif ukoll dwar il-ġbir ta’ informazzjoni fuq it-trattament, b’riżultat li ssir taf bl-infezzjoni aktar kmieni u li jibda t-trattament immedjat.

Il-Ministru għas-Saħħa rringrazzja lill-NGO ARC li hija NGO li taħdem qalb il-komunitajiet LGBTI+ għall-ġest nobbli li għamlu u li permezz tiegħu se jibbenefikaw ħafna nies.

Lovin Malta: Meet Ben, The First Child Adopted By A Same-Sex Couple In Malta

And y'all are crazy if you attack this family based on what you claim is the "best interest of the child".

https://lovinmalta.com/feature/meet-ben-the-first-child-adopted-by-a-same-sex-couple-in-malta

14.7.2016 by Chucky Bartolo

Yesterday, after news broke that Malta's court had given the go-ahead for the first adoption of a child by a same-sex couple, Malta's Facebook exploded.

Many praised the move as a huge leap forward for Malta, while others rambled on about the doom and gloom this would bring about; flinging around the classic arguments the anti-adoption camp always do (something about it being "unnatural" and "not in the child's best interest").

Gay Malta: Syphilis & Gonorrhea Outbreak

Joanne Farrugia is a Health Nurse at the Health promotion, disease prevention & disease prevention directorate. Joanne voluntarily contributes monthly (or whenever something urgent happens) to arc's newsletter and gaymalta.com.  

http://www.gaymalta.com/#!Syphilis-Gonorrhea-Outbreak/w0uls/578d01280cf2fc65e31f9900

Greetings everyone!

I always have an idea of what to write about every month, however a new alert just came in from the European Centre of Disease Prevention and I have to share this with you. 

TVM: Żieda fil-Każi tal-HIV f'Malta

http://www.tvm.com.mt/mt/news/zieda-fil-kazi-tal-hiv-fmalta/
minn Antonia Micallef

Ikklikja fuq il-link biex tara l-artiklu u l-video.

Guardian: Gay and bisexual men to be offered HPV vaccine under pilot scheme

Trial of cancer-preventing jab for 40,000 men in England criticised for not being available to all who request it
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/26/gay-bisexual-men-hpv-vaccine-pilot-scheme
Denis Campbell Health policy editor
Thursday 26 May 2016 19.41 BST

Gay and bisexual men are to start receiving a vaccine to protect them against several forms of cancer linked to sexual activity, but ministers have been criticised for not making it available to every man who is at risk.

Jane Ellison, the public health minister, has decided to offer the jab against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to 40,000 men in England who have sex with other men. It will be part of a trial programme beginning in June.

One News: ESKLUSSIVA: L-ewwel adozzjoni fost dawk b’Unjoni Ċivili

http://www.one.com.mt/news/esklussiva-l-ewwel-adozzjoni-fost-dawk-bunjoni-civili/



Perjodu twil ta’ skrutinju u proċeduri għall-koppja gay li xtaqet trabbi l-ulied intemm it-Tlieta filgħodu meta fil-Qorti tal-Familja kienet approvata l-adozzjoni ta’ wild għal żewġ irġiel.

Kien one.com.mt li żvela kif żewġ irġiel li fl-aħħar xhur immarkaw l-imħabba tagħhom f’Unjoni Ċivili. Biex b’hekk ingħataw id-drittijiet kollha ta’ żwieġ.

Pink News: Scientists declare ‘the end of AIDS’ as a public health issue in Australia

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/07/10/scientists-declare-the-end-of-aids-as-a-public-health-issue-in-australia/
Joseph Patrick McCormick; 10th July 2016, 4:17 PM


The scientists declared the "end of AIDS" in Australia as a public health issue

Scientists in Australia had declared “the end of AIDS” as a public health issue.

The announcement makes Australia one of few countries where the AIDS epidemic has been declared officially over.

Researchers from the Kirby and Peter Doherty institutes and the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations made the announcement, as the number of AIDS diagnoses per year has now fallen so low.



Since the rise to prominence of antiretroviral drugs in the 1990s, the number of those living with HIV whose condition progresses to AIDS, has fallen dramatically.

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, around 1,000 Australians died a year of AIDS-related illness.

Pink News: This heartbreaking film shows the real danger same-sex couples can face just for a kiss

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/07/01/this-heartbreaking-video-shows-the-real-danger-same-sex-couples-can-face-just-for-a-kiss/

Joseph Patrick McCormick; 1st July 2016, 2:36 AM


The short film carries a serious message

A new short film released for Pride in Madrid shows the real danger same-sex couples can face just for kissing in public.

The film ‘Por Un Beso’, or For a Kiss, was released to coincide with Madrid Pride.


It shows the growing romances of a budding relationship.

While the two men happen to meet twice in one day, they gradually form a relationship and appear to be planning to move in together.

Times: Court gives go-ahead for adoption by gay couple in first for Malta

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160713/local/court-gives-go-ahead-for-adoption-by-gay-couple-in-first-for-malta.618685
Wednesday, July 13, 2016, 07:46



A gay couple has become the first in Malta to adopt a child in the wake of its civil union.

One News reported that the go-ahead for adoption was given by the Family Court yesterday for the adoption by the two men.

The Civil Unions law gives same-sex couples the same rights as in marriage, including the right to adopt, although gay adoptions were never technically illegal.

The adoption process is centred around an assessment of the suitability of the applicants by the Family Court.

Gay Star News: WATCH this perfect wedding filmed by drone in Malta

Amazing footage from a marriage in Malta basically set a template for your own wedding

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/watch-perfect-wedding-filmed-drone-malta/#gs.6vbYcaQ



Weddings come in all shapes and size, but we think this one in Malta was just right.

Karl Boxall and Simon Law got married in sunny Malta (both are Maltese) on June 11. They filmed much of the ceremony by drone.

Pink News: Designer fighting stigma: ‘When I came out as HIV+, my flatmate refused to share a fridge’

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/06/10/designer-fighting-stigma-when-i-came-out-as-hiv-my-flatmate-refused-to-share-a-fridge/

• Ben Dilks
 
• 10^th June 2016, 12:36 PM

Jacob Alexander is fighting HIV stigma

A London fashion student has launched a new app aiming to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV and help those newly diagnosed with the virus.

The Positive Project app was conceived after creator Jacob Alexander found out he had HIV on the morning of his 22nd birthday.

Guardian: UN pledges to end Aids epidemic but plan barely mentions those most at risk

Activists walked out in protest after the resolution was adopted 

Summit criticized for excluding gay and transgender organizations
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/08/un-hiv-aids-summit-gay-transgender-groups-excluded

Amanda Holpuch in New YorkWednesday 8 June 2016 23.07 BST

UN member states have pledged to end the Aids epidemic by 2030, but campaigners say the strategy adopted by the 193-nation general assembly on Wednesday barely mentions those most at risk of contracting HIV/Aids: men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people and intravenous drug users.

Activists walked out in protest after the resolution was adopted on the first day of the three-day summit, which had already been the subject of intense criticism for excluding gay and transgender organizations. More than 50 countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, blocked 22 groups from attending the conference.

Independent UK: Three things you think you know about gay men and HIV

Critics of PrEP, the daily pill that stops people getting HIV, say that gay men just need to change their behaviour, not take a preventative medicine. Here is why that alone is not the answer

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/three-things-you-think-you-know-about-gay-men-and-hiv-a7039091.html
Suzi Price; Friday 20 May 2016

When the Pill was introduced, there was an immediate backlash, as people felt it would encourage promiscuity. We managed to overcome that stigma, and over 50 years later we are on the cusp of something similarly revolutionary in regards to HIV.

YouTube: Wasted Blood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmj19e9xZRo



In Brazil, it's illegal for men who have had sex with other men to donate blood. That means thousands of liters of blood being thrown out instead of saving lives.

http://www.wastedblood.com/

My mother was in the hospital, and I wanted to donate blood. I had been in a monogamous relationship for almost ten years. Yet, when the social worker found out my partner was a man, my blood was turned down. Just because I'm gay."

Stories like that happen every day in Brazil.

Malta Today: [WATCH] 'Walk towards Love' a reminder of the battle against intolerance, prejudice

Drachma leads candle-lit vigil to honour the 49 victims killed at the Pulse club in Orlando

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/66618/maltese_community_holds_candlelit_vigil_for_victims_of_orlando_shooting#.V2ZYR9SF5he

 Miriam Dalli
17 June 2016, 7:53pm, Last updated on 17 June 2016, 9:17pm

Photography: Chris Mangion


Walk towards Love: Malta honours Orlando shooting victims • Video by Chris Mangion [Click on the hyperlink above to watch the video].

It was a unanimous call for more tolerance and a commitment to continue fighting against discrimination and prejudice that echoed through the message of those present for the candle-lit vigil led by Drachma.

Drachma brought together people from different walks of life to honour the 49 victims of the Orlando shooting. Candles, rainbow-coloured flags and messages of love marked the ‘walk towards Love’ from Balluta Bay to the Love monument at Spinola Bay.

Times: Candle-lit vigil to honour lives of Orlando club victims

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160615/local/candle-lit-vigil-to-honour-lives-of-orlando-club-victims.615555
Wednesday, June 15, 2016, 17:44



A candle-lit vigil to honour the lives of those brutally killed the gay club Pulse in Orlando last weekend is being held by Drachma on Friday "as a show of strength and love".

"We will stand united #MaltaforOrlando."

The vigil will start from near the Balluta parish church at 7.30pm and with candles in hand, symbolically "walk towards Love". The solidarity walk which will come to a close at the Love monument in St Julians. US ambassador G. Kathleen Hill will be attending.

[Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/983322121786534/]

Independent: Malta Gay Pride Week 2016 hits Valletta; Prime Minister and Opposition Leader comment

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-06-11/local-news/Malta-Gay-Pride-Week-2016-hits-Velletta-Prime-Minister-and-Opposition-Leader-comment-6736159221

Mathias Mallia, Saturday, 11 June 2016, 16:39

Malta's Pride March on the penultimate day of Malta Gay Pride Week 2016 is well underway with the march being the first in a list of three activities today.

Valletta's Republic Street is currently home to colourful banners, costumes and party floats being led by two men driving big loud motorbikes brandishing the iconic rainbow flag, and a turnout of up to 1,000 people.



Prime Minister Joseph Muscat as well as Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil were in attendance at the very beginning of the parade, as well as PN MP Claudette Buttigieg and Civil Liberties Minister, Helena Dalli.



Meanwhile, independent MP, Marlene Farrugia posted the event banner on social media earlier this week saying that the new Democratic Party fully supports the event. Movement Graffiti also said in a statement earlier today that they will be attending and fully supporting the cause.



This Year's theme is "full equality" celebrating the rights obtained by the LGBTIQ community so far and calling on Maltese Society to further its positive position towards LGBTIQ rights. This year's celebration was entirely organized by NGOs

Malta was pushed to the forefront of LGBTIQ rights in the EU with the Civil Unions Bill which was established 16 April 2014.

New York Times: The Muslim Silence on Gay Rights

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/opinion/the-muslim-silence-on-gay-rights.html?smid=fb-share&_r=2&referer=http:/m.facebook.com

By BILAL QURESHI, JUNE 13, 2016

An Afghan-American Muslim walks into a gay club in Florida on Latin night during Pride Month. In my dreams, that is the beginning of another great story of remix, tolerance and coexistence that is possible only in America. In reality, it’s the start of a nightmare massacre fueled by hatred and perpetrated by a man from a group already scarred by a generation of suspicion and surveillance.

Whether Omar Mateen was a militant fighter financed by the Islamic State, a self-radicalized extremist or a lone wolf psychopath with a gun license, the distinction for committing the worst mass shooting in our history now belongs to an American Muslim.

Times: Progressive Malta, or a marriage of convenience?

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160530/local/progressive-malta-or-a-marriage-of-convenience.613579

Monday, May 30, 2016, 21:15 by 

Philip Leone-Ganado

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola last week described the Prime Minister’s recent gay marriage proposal as a diversionary tactic. Philip Leone-Ganado takes a look at the issue

In the heated political climate surrounding the ongoing Panama Papers scandal, the issue of gay marriage, unrelated as it is, has increasingly been politicised and caught up in the fray.

Times: Transgender girl, 8, tells her story, urges others to be brave

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160602/local/transgender-girl-8-tells-her-story.614088

Thursday, June 2, 2016, 11:41 by Philip Leone Ganado
Updated June 3 with Children's Commissioner statement

[Click on the hyperlink above to watch the Video: Mark Zammit Cordina]

A new book by eight-year old transgender girl Willa Naylor, about her own experience transitioning and living with her true gender identity, was presented to ministers Helena Dalli and Evarist Bartolo this morning.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36492127

Orlando shooting: Latest attack on LGBT community

By Jessica LussenhopBBC News

• 13 June 2016
 
• From the sectionUS & Canada
 
• 123comments

Image copyrightAP

Orlando shooting

• LIVE Orlando nightclub shooting
• What we know about Orlando shooting
• Who were the Orlando shooting victims?
• Who was the Orlando club gunman?

The worst mass shooting in modern American history was also a hate crime against the gay community. It's not the first time LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people have been the targets of violence.

Visit Malta: Event Details MALTA GAY PRIDE WEEK 2016

http://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2016-06/malta-gay-pride-week-2016-9041
04/06/2016 - 12/06/2016



Pride Malta Week 2016 Will take place from the 4th till the 12th June 2016. This Year's theme "full equality" Celebrates the rights obtained by the LGBTIQ community and calls on Maltese Society to further its positive position towards LGBTI rights, and open Marriage to same sex couples.

Times: Ira Losco: "Gay rights must go beyond tolerance"

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160512/local/ira-gay-rights-must-go-beyond-tolerance.611857
Thursday, May 12, 2016, 20:04 by Philip Leone-Ganado in Stockholm

[Click here for the Video: Mark Zammit Cordina]

Ira Losco made an appearance at the Eurovision press centre this evening in support of gay rights, appealing for respect and equality on an issue that has become highly charged at this year’s song contest.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it can be to have a different sexual orientation or gender identity and needing to come to terms with it themselves first and then share it with others,” she said, holding a rainbow flag aloft.

Gay Star News: What's it like to be LGBTI in Malta?

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/whats-like-lgbti-malta/

In 2015, Malta was ranked 1st out of 49 measured countries for its positive record on LGBT rights

Sprout Media

Malta has changed substantially over the last few years for gay people

17 April 2016

by Jack Flanagan

  

What’s it like to be LGBTI in one of the smallest nations in the world?

A new video from Sprout Media asks four students at the University of Malta what life has been like for them growing up.

‘There’s a lot of positive energy’, says filmmaker Alex Caruana of life in Malta for gay people.

‘Things are not perfect, but we have the best laws and activists are coming out to continue the fight for LGBT rights,’ Caruana told Gay Star News by email. ‘People’s approach has changed as well. It’s safe to be LGBT. Malta has changed drastically during these last years.’

MGRM: Questionnaire for HIV+ persons

21st April 2016 by the Malta Gay Rights Movement

The confidential survey below is organised by an HIV subcommittee of MGRM (the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement) which is mapping out the HIV services available in Malta and helping to identify any gaps or deficiencies.

This will hopefully lead to identifying areas where improvement and additional resources need to be provided.

The answers given will remain totally confidential and will be used solely in an aggregated anonymous format.

Most of the questions require a simple YES/NO response, with the scope for some free text input.

The survey can be accessed here: https://farrig.typeform.com/to/TDAK8r

Thank you for choosing to take part in this survey.

MGRM

MGRM provides support services to the LGBTIQ community, should you need of professional social support, contact the Rainbow Support Service on support@maltagayrights.org or 79430006

Guardian: Colombia's highest court paves way for marriage equality in surprise ruling

Magistrates vote against proposal that said marriage applied only to unions between men and women and that it was up to the congress to decide

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/07/colombia-court-gay-marriage-ruling

Sibylla Brodzinsky in Bogotá
Friday 8 April 2016 00.07 BSTLast modified on Friday 8 April 201600.08 BST

 

Colombia could become the fourth Latin American nation to fully allow same-sex marriage. Photograph: John Vizcaino/Reuters
Colombia’s highest court has given the green light to gay marriage in the conservative, mostly Catholic country.

The magistrates of the constitutional court voted six to three against a proposed ruling that said marriage applied only to unions between men and women and that it was up to the congress and not the court to decide on same-sex marriage.

Citizen Go: "For 15 years of my life, I experienced unwanted same-sex attractions."

http://www.citizengo.org/en/fm/33819-sign-here-worlds-largest-psychiatric-organization-condemns-counseling-unwanted-same-sex?

The World Psychiatric Association just made a blanket statement condemning all forms of counseling intended to resolve unwanted same-sex attractions. There is no scientific consensus that unwanted same-sex attractions cannot be resolved through counseling. In fact, 100 years of scientific research shows that for some, therapy can help reduce and/or eliminate homosexual attractions and that heterosexual attractions can increase! The World Psychiatric Association has discounted the thousands of individuals who have successfully resolved unwanted same-sex attraction through freely-chosen counseling. Please ask them to release an apology explaining that this statement was influenced by politics, and not medical facts. SIGN The world’s largest organization of psychiatrists just released a statement condemning all forms ofcounseling intended to resolve unwanted same-sex attraction. Please join us and our friends at Equality And Justice For All and Voice of the Voiceless in speaking out against this incorrect and political statement by the World Psychiatric Association. This statement is a political move, intended to appease the international pro-LGBT lobby. It does not take into account the well-documented benefits of counseling for those who freely choose counseling to resolve unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA). Sign here: http://www.citizengo.org/en/fm/33819-sign-here-worlds-largest-psychiatric-organization-condemns-counseling-unwanted-same-sex Christopher Doyle, Founder of Voice of the Voiceless and Co-Coordinator of the National Task Force for Therapy Equality (#Therapy Equality) with Washington, DC-based Equality And Justice For All, has personally experienced the healing power of counseling for unwanted SSA. He explains: "For 15 years of my life, I experienced unwanted SSA due to childhood sexual abuse and a lack of healthy relationships with men. However, after I sought out licensed therapy, Christian support groups, and healthy friendships with men in my church, I healed the wounds that caused me to be homo-sexually attracted. Today, I have been married to my beautiful wife for almost ten years, and we have five wonderful children! There was absolutely nothing harmful about the help I received; in fact, every aspect of my life has improved because of this help and support.” Sign here: http://www.citizengo.org/en/fm/33819-sign-here-worlds-largest-psychiatric-organization-condemns-counseling-unwanted-same-sex Organizations like the Equality And Justice for All, Voice of the Voiceless, and the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity advocate that counseling can be an effective means of resolving unwanted SSA. Indeed, Christopher’s story is one of many that the World Psychiatric Association has completely discounted in their condemnation of all counseling that helps resolve unwanted SSA. The World Psychiatric Association has bought into the lie that same-sex attractions must always be embraced, regardless of one’s religious beliefs, family life, or other desires. They want to rob people who deal with unwanted same-sex attractions of the opportunity to participate in counseling. Please join us in defending the benefits of counseling by asking the World Psychiatric Association to rescind their statement. Sign here: http://www.citizengo.org/en/fm/33819-sign-here-worlds-largest-psychiatric-organization-condemns-counseling-unwanted-same-sex When you sign this petition, a letter will be sent directly to the World Psychiatric Association. United, our voices will be heard by the Association and will hopefully cause them to reconsider. Thank you for standing with us in support of this important counseling option and against the politicization of the World Psychiatric Association. Sincerely,  Caroline Craddock and the entire CitizenGO team CitizenGO is a community of active citizens that seeks to defend life, the family and fundamental rights worldwide. To find out more about CitizenGO click here or follow us onFacebook or Twitter. This message is addressed to bartolo.antonio50@gmail.com. If you do not wish to receive emails from CitizenGO, click on this link. To contact CitizenGO, doon't respond to this email, reply at this link: http://www.citizengo.org/en/contact

ARC: Meet Mr Gay Malta Iven Fenech

Talks about being “Abused, Raped, Brother’s Suicide & Upcoming Community projects”
https://www.facebook.com/notes/arc-allied-rainbow-communities/meet-mr-gay-malta-iven-fenech/971125072973241/?ref=m_notif&notif_t=page_fan

MARCH 30 · PUBLIC; Edited by Russell Sammut

I was a young boy raised in a traditional family, I was the eldest of 3 brothers. At 11 I was admitted to a Boarding School. I started adjusting to my new life, I began to see my siblings only on weekends, while still adjusting to this new “lifestyle”. One day my parents told me that they were going to separate. It was very hard on me. I can still recall the sleepless nights and mixed emotions, but I had to keep my feelings to myself I had to be strong for my two younger brothers who were too young and needed me to be strong for them.
As the separation took place I had to choose whether to live with my mother or my father. Even though they only lived a few minutes away from each other, the choice of choosing between the two people who I loved the most was tough. In the end, my brothers remained with my mother and I moved in with my father.
“Two police officers came to pick me up from school and took me to the police station. None of this made sense, I was confused, What Happened? What did I do?”

Pink News: Prison Break star Wentworth Miller speaks out against meme mocking weight gain ‘while suicidal’

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/03/29/prison-break-star-wentworth-miller-speaks-out-against-meme-mocking-weight-gain-while-suicidal/
29th March 2016, 1:31 PM by Nick Duffy



Wentworth Miller was mocked for gaining weight after quitting his iconic role

Prison Break star Wentworth Miller has hit out at a meme mocking him for his weight gain after leaving his most iconic role.

The actor was a huge name while starring in Prison Break, but was forced to deny gossip about his sexuality at the time.

Times: ‘Doctors, teachers need more LGBT training’

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160323/local/doctors-teachers-need-more-lgbt-training.606567#
Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 14:09 by Philip Leone-Ganado



Transgender people in particular were seen by Maltese professionals as the group which had their needs met the least. Photo: Joanna Demarco

Lack of understanding and professional training for doctors and teachers about issues affecting LGBT people continue to endanger their fundamental rights despite promising legislative advances, according to a new report.

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) surveyed more than 1,000 public officials, doctors, teachers and police officers in Malta and 18 other EU member states about laws and policies protecting and promoting the rights of LGBT people.

Pink News: Germany’s first gay Vice-Chancellor dies, aged 54

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/03/18/germanys-first-gay-vice-chancellor-dies-aged-54/
18th March 2016, 3:02 PM by Nick Duffy


(Photo by Steffen Kugler-Pool/Getty Images)

One of Germany’s most prominent gay politicians has died, aged 54.

Guido Westerwelle, the former chair of the Free Democratic Party, had become the country’s most senior gay politician when his party joined Angela Merkel’s second coalition government.

Times: Increase in HIV cases caused by sexual transmission

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160307/local/increase-in-hiv-cases-caused-by-sexual-transmission.604949
Monday, March 7, 2016, 18:16



An increase in the incidence of HIV, which can lead to Aids, was the result of gay relationships and not shared syringes by drug users, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Chris Fearne, said in Parliament this evening.

He said a similar increase was being seen in several other countries.

A task force of professionals is drawing up policies and preparing an information campaign to tackle the trend and educate the people on precautions to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.

He said there was no increase as a result of shared syringes had been seen, and the Health Department was continuing to provide free syringes to those who needed them.

Mr Fearne was replying to questions by Franco Mercieca and Anthony Agius Decelis (PL).

Times: Italy's Senate approves civil unions, but without adoptions

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160225/world/italys-senate-approves-civil-unions-but-without-adoptions.603743
Thursday, February 25, 2016, 21:11



Italy's Senate has voted to grant legal recognition to civil unions, as the last holdout in Western Europe took a compromise step to give some rights to gay couples after a years-long battle.

Premier Matteo Renzi described the passage of the bill as "historic".

But gay and lesbian groups denounced the legislation as a betrayal because Mr Renzi's Democratic Party sacrificed a provision to allow gay adoption in order to ensure passage.

The legislation, which must still pass the lower Chamber of Deputies, is nevertheless significant for an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country where the Vatican holds sway in politics and society, although Pope Francis remained silent as debate raged in recent months.

It passed 173-71, well over the threshold necessary.

Times: 'We never said homosexuality is a disease or disorder' - Church

Curia insists its position paper on gay conversion therapies being misquoted

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160222/local/we-never-said-homosexuality-is-a-disease-or-disorder-church.603373
Monday, February 22, 2016, 18:38



There is nothing in the Church's position paper on gay conversion therapies that can be remotely construed as implying that homosexuality is a disease or disorder, the Curia said this evening.

"It is unfortunate that the reactions to the Church’s position paper written by a group of experts have attributed statements to them which neither express their sentiments nor correspond to what they have written," the Curia said, in reaction to a barrage of criticism.

Times: Update 2 - PM, PN react as Archbishop clarifies position on gay conversion therapy

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160222/local/archbishop-clarifies-position-on-gay-conversion-therapy-amid-storm-of.603327
Monday, February 22, 2016, 06:39



Updated with Prime Minister's/ PN comments - Archbishop Charles Scicluna has moved to quell a growing controversy over a church committee's report on gay conversion therapy, saying that such therapy was a “no go” when it went against people's wishes, but also urging critics of the report to read it properly.

Malta Today: Church’s position paper on conversion therapy 'profoundly flawed' in practical, legal interpretations

The Malta Gay Rights Movement says bill seeks to ensure that all persons – irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression – are valued equally

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/62425/churchs_position_paper_on_conversion_therapy_profoundly_flawed_in_practical_legal_interpretations#.Vsn-qECNbTT
20 February 2016, 12:53pm by Miriam Dalli 



MGRM coordinator Gabi Calleja (Photo: Ray Attard)

A position paper issued by the Catholic Church on government’s plan to criminalise conversion therapies is “profoundly flawed both in its understanding of the practical implications the Act will have on professional practice as well as in its legal interpretations”.

Malta Gay Rights Movement coordinator Gabi Calleja said that, since all persons have a sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, no discrimination applied.

Times: Gay conversion Bill raises 'serious ethical, legal issues' - Church

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160220/local/conversion-therapy-bill-raises-serious-ethical-legal-issues-church.603080
Saturday, February 20, 2016, 10:52



The Conversion Therapy Bill being presented to Parliament violates the constitutional provisions on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, a Church position paper has concluded.

The legislation being proposed on the affirmation of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression raises a number of "serious ethical and legal issues", according to a position paper published by the Curia on the advice of seven experts in the field.

"Rather than fostering a ‘culture of dignity’ in which every citizen, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, lives in an inclusive culture of recognition between human beings, the proposed Bill promotes discrimination, disrespect for personal autonomy and distrust in the accountability of professional bodies."

Malta Today: 'Notable shift' in Maltese mentality in favour of LGBTI+ rights

Civil liberties minister Helena Dalli hails Eurobarometer survey that indicate that 77% of the Maltese are in favour of full rights to homosexual people, and that 70% in favour of full rights to trans-people

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/62293/notable_shift_in_maltese_mentality_in_favour_of_lgbti_people
16 February 2016, 10:40am by Tim Diacono



The mentality of the Maltese public has in recent years shifted signficantly in favour of rights to LGBTI+ people, civil liberties minister Helena Dalli claimed.

Speaking in parliament during a debate on this year’s Budget, Dalli cited a recent Eurobarometer survey in which 81% of Maltese respondents said they were in favour of the rights of trans-people to update their ID cards to match their gender identities.

Times: Malta being promoted for gay travel

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160216/local/malta-being-promoted-for-gay-travel.602639
Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 18:52 by Philip Leone-Ganado

Recent changes in the law have ensured more equal rights for LGBT people. However, the shift towards greater cultural acceptance has also had an unexpected side effect – positioning Malta as a destination for gay travel.

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) has recently embarked on a campaign in the US and Canada promoting Malta as a “winter escape for the LGBT traveller”.

Malta’s progressive reputation is a selling point. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

ECDC: HIV in Europe: 5 facts you need to know

https://vimeo.com/140804137?ref=fb-share
European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control


HIV in Europe: 5 facts you need to know from ECDC on Vimeo.

Did you know that...
- more than 300 000 people were diagnosed with HIV over the last decade?
- that cases among men who have sex with men continue to rise?
- everyday, 80 people are diagnosed with HIV?
- half of these cases are diagnosed late?
- many more people are infected but unaware and can pass on the virus to others?

HIV: Test, protect, prevent.