Saturday, 19 July 2008
AD's New Spokespeople
New List of AD Spokespeople:
Education: Mario Mallia
Sustainable Development & Local Government: Carmel Cacopardo
Industry, Energy & Transport: Ralph Cassar
Social Protection & Health: Mary Anne Zammit
Foreign Affairs: Mark Scerri
Democratic Institutions and Civil Rights: Stephen Cachia
Sports: Christian Holland
Agriculture and Animal Welfare: Simon Galea
Gozo: Victor Galea
Communications and IT: Henrik Piski
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender Issues: Dr. Patrick Attard
Social and Economic Development: Michael Briguglio
Economic and EU Affairs: Prof. Arnold Cassola
Youth: Deborah Zahra
Friday, 18 July 2008
Pink News: Human Rights Watch calls on EU nations to back discrimination directive
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8397.htmlBy Tony Grew • July 17, 2008
A New York-based human rights group has called on the member states of the European Union to implement a new directive on discrimination.
"No citizen within the EU should have less protection or less equality than others," said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Programme at Human Rights Watch.
"An inclusive directive will be a vital step to end discrimination against the millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people living in the European Union."
Gay EU citizens would be entitled to equal treatment in the areas of social protection, including social security and health care, education and access to and supply of goods and services, under the proposal from the European Commission.
It provides for protection from discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief.
All goods and services which are commercially available to the public, including housing, will be covered by the directive. All forms of discrimination at work are already covered by previous legislation.
EU directives require member states to, for example, deal with discrimination, but leaves it up to the states to decide on the best course of action to take.
"The right to equal treatment is fundamental, but millions of people in the EU continue to face discrimination in their everyday lives," said Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
"At present, there is an inequality in Community legislation itself because people are protected from discrimination outside the workplace only on grounds of gender and race or ethnic origin. We must ensure equal treatment for all grounds.
"The measures we propose are proportionate and reasonable; they give legal certainty to businesses and to users of goods and services while respecting the specific requirements of various sectors as well as national traditions."
However, member states will remain free to "maintain measures ensuring the secular nature of the State or concerning the status and activities of religious organisations."
Now that the Commission has proposed a directive across all strands does not mean the directive will emerge at the other end of the process intact.
"The 27 member states will argue for their bits of exemption, followed by all the different industry lobbies, not to mention groups like the Roman Catholic Church, which has full time lobbyists in Brussels," a European Parliament source told PinkNews.co.uk
"Then there are the trades union people - it all gets fought through.
"Then member states have the derogations, where they say ‘OK you can put it in but it doesn't apply to us.’
"Nowadays the European Parliament has a right to get involved.
"And then the next phase, once the directive is actually passed, you start the process of putting it into law.
"The sexual orientation employment regulations came into force in 2003 and were duly implemented in the UK, but I don't think you'll find all 27 states follow it. So it's a long process."
The International Gay and Lesbian Association broadly welcomed the new discrimination directive but said that gay and lesbian people who want to get married will still face discrimination.
Juris Lavrikovs, a spokesman for the group, said he was pleased that education is to be included in the new directive.
"We really appreciate that the proposed directive covers all grounds of discrimination – something we've been working on for months. It's very positive," he told EUobserver.
"There is no reference to differential treatment regarding marriage.
"This maintains unequal treatment of same-sex couples."
The Commission said that marriage is in the "competence" of the member states.
"Marriage is not considered a service," spokeswoman Katharina von Schnubein said.
France’s Presidency of the EU means the discrimination directive is as a priority for the next six months and they will seek to conclude it at the Council of Ministers meeting in December.
Stonewall said that while many of the protections set out in the discrimination directive are already law in the UK, there is still a need for the UK to support them.
"Stonewall believes equality for UK citizens should not stop at the Channel," said spokesman Derek Munn.
“We are also mindful for the need to entrench such protections in the future."
Thursday, 17 July 2008
The Star, Malaysia: Ng: Welfare aid for gays, too
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/17/nation/21846232&sec=nation
Thursday July 17, 2008
Thursday July 17, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: All Malaysians, including homosexuals, can apply and receive welfare aid if they meet the necessary welfare requirements, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.
"We do not discriminate based on sexual inclination. As long as you are a Malaysian and are entitled to receive welfare aid, we will give it to you, especially the poor.
"We should not judge them as they too are entitled to get help," she said yesterday when asked to comment on a Parliament debate over the presence of homosexuals in the Klang Valley.
Dr Ng said her ministry had submitted a research paper to the Cabinet a month ago on problems faced by homosexuals, including no legal entity.
"According to our research, these non-heterosexuals are often shunned by society, ashamed, laughed at and bullied.
"Most of them are not keen to come forward because of the treatment they had received," she told a press conference yesterday.
On whether the ministry was working on legalising the status of homosexuals, Dr Ng said it was a very complex issue which had to be looked at thoroughly including the religious and cultural aspect.
Earlier, Dr Ng witnessed the presentation of cheques totalling RM15,000 to three welfare homes. The money was collected during a recent month-long programme titled 'Love and Care' organised by Central Market Sdn Bhd in conjunction with Mothers Day and Fathers Day.
She said they were reviewing the allowances received by the disabled to sharpen the delivery system and ensure the deserving ones had quick access to them.
On another matter, Dr Ng said the ministry did not approve the idea of outsourcing fund-raising activities for commission and as a profit-sharing business.
She was commenting on a recent statement by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong that "licensed beggars' were on the prowl, especially at food outlets seeking donations on behalf of welfare homes with the idea of profit-sharing and receiving commission from the money.
Dr Ng said a show-cause letter would be given to such private homes which were also registered and receiving aid from the ministry.
"We are not against fund-raising but do not do it as a 60:40 business. Be transparent with the donors.
"All the money should go straight to the homes minus the administrative fees and not to an outsourcing company," she added.
Times: Gay rights and long political overhauls
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080717/opinion/gay-rights-and-long-political-overhauls
Thursday, 17th July 2008, Ranier Fsadni
W hat do esthe ultra-liberal EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) have in common with George W. Bush? The idea that laws about gay marriage can be imposed from a federal centre on individual states.
Of course, President Bush would have liked to make gay marriage unconstitutional in the US while the newly-set up FRA believes it should be legalised across the EU. But despite wanting opposite outcomes, their reasoning is the same.
The FRA has stated that it is wrong for Malta and another 10 member states not to recognise same-sex marriages and partnerships contracted elsewhere in the Union. Such non-recognition, according to the agency, infringes the principle of free movement as it restricts the ease of family reunification for same-sex spouses. But it was exactly the same principle of free movement that Mitt Romney used just a few months ago to justify why he believed gay marriage should be made illegal by the US Constitution. Mr Romney was then a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination and seeking to attract the social conservative vote, which delivered the White House to Mr Bush in 2004.
Mr Romney was being interviewed by Charlie Rose, who hosts one of the most thoughtful discussion programmes on US TV. Mr Rose asked Mr Romney whether there was a contradiction between his positions on abortion and gay marriage: for Mr Romney argues that abortion laws should be left up to individual state legislatures while gay marriage should be outlawed at the federal level.
To explain why he saw no contradiction, Mr Romney enunciated the same principle as the FRA: Precisely because with gay marriages you have people moving across state boundaries demanding that contracts they signed elsewhere are recognised wherever they settle, the law against such marriages needs to transcend individual states.
The FRA cites freedom of movement in the context of equality; President Bush and the US social conservative movement do not see the principle of equality as being violated in this instance. That is a fundamental difference. But it is a difference one can find also in Europe; not just in the 11 states that do not recognise gay marriages or partnerships but across the Union, where gay marriage has generally sparked very heated debates that in their wake left a great sense of anger and injustice on both sides.
There are two points worth drawing from this parallel. Worth drawing both because of the online debate that threaded this newspaper's report on the FRA (July 1) and because of demand for equality made at last Saturday's Gay Pride March by Gabi Calleja, the coordinator of the Malta Gay Rights Movement. Online, some debaters opined that people opposing gay rights were a dying breed, like dinosaurs. But the evidence for this is scant. Yes, more gay rights are being recognised in Europe. Yet, the US passed through a similar liberalising phase in the 1960s and 1970s, only to experience a backlash later. In the 1980s, the backlash was disguised as a reaction to the emerging Aids epidemic but by the election of George W. Bush in 2000 there was no disguising it.
President Bush was never in a strong enough position to make gay marriage unconstitutional. But he was in a position to keep talking about it, to make a small minority a culturally central question and thus to make being gay a discomfiting political issue for homosexual people.
Here enters the second lesson from the US experience. It would be short sighted to question this comparison by retorting that this would never happen in Europe.
In the 1960s, the mood of the liberalising US courts, led by the Earl Warren's Supreme Court, was comparable to that of the FRA and the European Parliament today. It seemed as though the age of progress had hit a point of no return.
Instead, it seems to have been the liberal high point of a long political cycle. Later, at the liberal low point, the same institutional instruments were used - or there was a strong threat to use them - to reverse such reforms. It is good to remember that the institutions one uses to win a political battle today may be used against one's own cause in the future.
And there are good reasons to assume that there will be, at some point, a conservative backlash in Europe if the pan-European institutions continue down the current path of pushing socially-liberal reforms on member states without attempting to win the arguments by persuasion.
Winning the argument is important because it secures whatever is gained. And to persuade, one must argue from within society. There is a good case to be made for gay rights, to show that many such rights are commensurable with the values of mainstream society. But so far, the case is too rarely made.
Thursday, 17th July 2008, Ranier Fsadni
W hat do esthe ultra-liberal EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) have in common with George W. Bush? The idea that laws about gay marriage can be imposed from a federal centre on individual states.
Of course, President Bush would have liked to make gay marriage unconstitutional in the US while the newly-set up FRA believes it should be legalised across the EU. But despite wanting opposite outcomes, their reasoning is the same.
The FRA has stated that it is wrong for Malta and another 10 member states not to recognise same-sex marriages and partnerships contracted elsewhere in the Union. Such non-recognition, according to the agency, infringes the principle of free movement as it restricts the ease of family reunification for same-sex spouses. But it was exactly the same principle of free movement that Mitt Romney used just a few months ago to justify why he believed gay marriage should be made illegal by the US Constitution. Mr Romney was then a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination and seeking to attract the social conservative vote, which delivered the White House to Mr Bush in 2004.
Mr Romney was being interviewed by Charlie Rose, who hosts one of the most thoughtful discussion programmes on US TV. Mr Rose asked Mr Romney whether there was a contradiction between his positions on abortion and gay marriage: for Mr Romney argues that abortion laws should be left up to individual state legislatures while gay marriage should be outlawed at the federal level.
To explain why he saw no contradiction, Mr Romney enunciated the same principle as the FRA: Precisely because with gay marriages you have people moving across state boundaries demanding that contracts they signed elsewhere are recognised wherever they settle, the law against such marriages needs to transcend individual states.
The FRA cites freedom of movement in the context of equality; President Bush and the US social conservative movement do not see the principle of equality as being violated in this instance. That is a fundamental difference. But it is a difference one can find also in Europe; not just in the 11 states that do not recognise gay marriages or partnerships but across the Union, where gay marriage has generally sparked very heated debates that in their wake left a great sense of anger and injustice on both sides.
There are two points worth drawing from this parallel. Worth drawing both because of the online debate that threaded this newspaper's report on the FRA (July 1) and because of demand for equality made at last Saturday's Gay Pride March by Gabi Calleja, the coordinator of the Malta Gay Rights Movement. Online, some debaters opined that people opposing gay rights were a dying breed, like dinosaurs. But the evidence for this is scant. Yes, more gay rights are being recognised in Europe. Yet, the US passed through a similar liberalising phase in the 1960s and 1970s, only to experience a backlash later. In the 1980s, the backlash was disguised as a reaction to the emerging Aids epidemic but by the election of George W. Bush in 2000 there was no disguising it.
President Bush was never in a strong enough position to make gay marriage unconstitutional. But he was in a position to keep talking about it, to make a small minority a culturally central question and thus to make being gay a discomfiting political issue for homosexual people.
Here enters the second lesson from the US experience. It would be short sighted to question this comparison by retorting that this would never happen in Europe.
In the 1960s, the mood of the liberalising US courts, led by the Earl Warren's Supreme Court, was comparable to that of the FRA and the European Parliament today. It seemed as though the age of progress had hit a point of no return.
Instead, it seems to have been the liberal high point of a long political cycle. Later, at the liberal low point, the same institutional instruments were used - or there was a strong threat to use them - to reverse such reforms. It is good to remember that the institutions one uses to win a political battle today may be used against one's own cause in the future.
And there are good reasons to assume that there will be, at some point, a conservative backlash in Europe if the pan-European institutions continue down the current path of pushing socially-liberal reforms on member states without attempting to win the arguments by persuasion.
Winning the argument is important because it secures whatever is gained. And to persuade, one must argue from within society. There is a good case to be made for gay rights, to show that many such rights are commensurable with the values of mainstream society. But so far, the case is too rarely made.
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
2008 Gay Pride Images
Kenneth Zammit Tabona, Prof. Arnold Cassola (AD Leader), Dr. Joseph Muscat (MLP Leader), Bernard Muscat (MGRM Organiser) talking before the Pride March.
Evarist Bartolo (Labour M.P., wearing white trousers) together with Dr. Owen Bonnici (Labour M.P., wearing a light blue shirt).
Marching through Paceville.---
View more images of the 2008 Gay Pride March at www.maltagayrights.net.
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Tuesday, 15 July 2008
MGRM Pride Speech: Malta Gay Pride 2008
12 July 2008
Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) Address, by Gabi Calleja
We have often been made to feel ashamed of our identities as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans persons; made to believe that there was something wrong with us; made to think that we are a somewhat flawed version of a human being. Despite increasing awareness and a greater degree of acceptance, particularly among young people, so many of us continue to struggle with accepting ourselves, with coming out to our family, friends and colleagues. And so our theme this year – LIVE, LOVE, BE.
We want to urge you to LIVE your lives fully, free from fear of harassment and discrimination. We encourage you to rejoice in your relationships and to express your LOVE openly for it is what makes our lives worth living and what most distinguishes us as human beings. We ask you to BE who you are without shame despite the often negative labels society places on us.
I have this year been called a ‘gay rights fundamentalist’ by a reputable newspaper columnist so perhaps you should be wary of my next claim.
I tell you I already have the right to marry; I already have the right to found a family; I already have the right to be a parent; I already have the right to freedom from harassment and discrimination in all areas of life. I have these rights because they belong to all of us who form part of the human race. Nobody can take away these rights from me. To believe they could, is to think that I was a lesser form of human being.
You may be more intelligent, more powerful, wiser, certainly more beautiful, richer, better educated, more talented but you cannot be more equal, for equality is our birthright as human beings. So when the Malta Gay Rights Movements, among other things, requests of politicians that they grant legal recognition to same sex partnerships what we are demanding is that we be allowed to exercise an already existing right. And every day that goes by without that legislation is a violation of that right.
When our judiciary earlier this year denied a woman the possibility of getting married simply because of her trans status, it violated her right as a human being. It is not I who have come to this conclusion, but the European Court of Human Rights. Each day our legislature fails to enact laws and policies that give access to adequate health care to trans persons and that facilitate their transition is a violation of their dignity as human beings.
Every time a young gay man or woman commits suicide because we fail to educate parents and children to understand and accept sexual minorities we are failing as a society.
So I say shame on you. Shame on you for not recognizing that we are all equal and that having to ask that our rights be recognized is in itself an infringement of our dignity as persons.
In October of 2009 the Malta Gay Rights Movement will host the International Lesbian and Gay Association’s European Region conference. It is for us an important and significant undertaking. Two hundred LGBT activists will visit Malta for 5 days for this annual gathering which takes place in different cities around Europe each year. We hope that it will serve as an impetus for our politicians to demonstrate that this country is respectful of all its citizens and is committed to equality by introducing much needed policies and laws and by endorsing the European Commission’s proposals for a new anti-discrimination directive in the provision of goods and services.
I would like to end by thanking all those who have been involved in the organization of this Diverscity week which as you may imagine takes quite some doing and in particular all those who participated in the Pride March and the rest of this evening’s celebrations. Also the representatives from the political parties and other NGO’s, the MGRM volunteers and our partners this year, Klozet Club, QQ Events, Stanyer Creations, Underworld, Station 2 Station and SaModa. A big thank you also to our sponsors GO and Where’s Everybody. Good night.
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View images of the Gay Pride March at www.maltagayrights.net.
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Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) Address, by Gabi Calleja
We have often been made to feel ashamed of our identities as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans persons; made to believe that there was something wrong with us; made to think that we are a somewhat flawed version of a human being. Despite increasing awareness and a greater degree of acceptance, particularly among young people, so many of us continue to struggle with accepting ourselves, with coming out to our family, friends and colleagues. And so our theme this year – LIVE, LOVE, BE.
We want to urge you to LIVE your lives fully, free from fear of harassment and discrimination. We encourage you to rejoice in your relationships and to express your LOVE openly for it is what makes our lives worth living and what most distinguishes us as human beings. We ask you to BE who you are without shame despite the often negative labels society places on us.
I have this year been called a ‘gay rights fundamentalist’ by a reputable newspaper columnist so perhaps you should be wary of my next claim.
I tell you I already have the right to marry; I already have the right to found a family; I already have the right to be a parent; I already have the right to freedom from harassment and discrimination in all areas of life. I have these rights because they belong to all of us who form part of the human race. Nobody can take away these rights from me. To believe they could, is to think that I was a lesser form of human being.
You may be more intelligent, more powerful, wiser, certainly more beautiful, richer, better educated, more talented but you cannot be more equal, for equality is our birthright as human beings. So when the Malta Gay Rights Movements, among other things, requests of politicians that they grant legal recognition to same sex partnerships what we are demanding is that we be allowed to exercise an already existing right. And every day that goes by without that legislation is a violation of that right.
When our judiciary earlier this year denied a woman the possibility of getting married simply because of her trans status, it violated her right as a human being. It is not I who have come to this conclusion, but the European Court of Human Rights. Each day our legislature fails to enact laws and policies that give access to adequate health care to trans persons and that facilitate their transition is a violation of their dignity as human beings.
Every time a young gay man or woman commits suicide because we fail to educate parents and children to understand and accept sexual minorities we are failing as a society.
So I say shame on you. Shame on you for not recognizing that we are all equal and that having to ask that our rights be recognized is in itself an infringement of our dignity as persons.
In October of 2009 the Malta Gay Rights Movement will host the International Lesbian and Gay Association’s European Region conference. It is for us an important and significant undertaking. Two hundred LGBT activists will visit Malta for 5 days for this annual gathering which takes place in different cities around Europe each year. We hope that it will serve as an impetus for our politicians to demonstrate that this country is respectful of all its citizens and is committed to equality by introducing much needed policies and laws and by endorsing the European Commission’s proposals for a new anti-discrimination directive in the provision of goods and services.
I would like to end by thanking all those who have been involved in the organization of this Diverscity week which as you may imagine takes quite some doing and in particular all those who participated in the Pride March and the rest of this evening’s celebrations. Also the representatives from the political parties and other NGO’s, the MGRM volunteers and our partners this year, Klozet Club, QQ Events, Stanyer Creations, Underworld, Station 2 Station and SaModa. A big thank you also to our sponsors GO and Where’s Everybody. Good night.
---
View images of the Gay Pride March at www.maltagayrights.net.
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Id-Diskors tiegħi fil-'Malta Gay Pride 2008'
(see English translation below)
12 ta' Lulju 2008
minn Patrick Attard
Nixtieq nibda biex ngħid prosit lil organizzaturi tal-Gay Pride.
Jien l-Spokesperson on Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual and Transgender on issues jew bil-malti: kelliem għal nies li huma… ‘hekk’.
Ma nafx kif il-Partit Nazzjonalista ma bagħtx lil David Casa illum, peress li s-Sur Casa tant jiġġieled kontra d-diskriminazzjoni fil-gay bars ta’ Brussell, imma jbati biex jikkundanna vjolenza, tortura u diskriminazzjoni fuq gays fil-parlament Ewropew.
Għalfejn illum hawn dan l-għaġeb kollu fuq iż-żwieġ jew partnership bejn koppji gay. Irriduh ghax ‘cool’ jew ghax pajjiżi oħrajn għandhom u rridu nagħmlu bħalhom? Ha ngħidilkom storja vera ta’ żewġ ħbieb tiegħi spanjoli li żżwewġu tlett snin ilu.
Juan u Toni ilhom flimkien erbatax il-sena. Iżżewġu meta fl-2005 Zapatero daħħal iż-żwieġ bejn koppji gay. Kien żwieġ vera umli. Marru ghaċ-ċerimonja b’tal-linja. Iċ-ċerimonja damet inqas minn tlett minuti u lanqas ċrieket ma taw lil xulxin. Wara marru b’tal-linja ġo restaurant biex jieklu mal-familji tagħhom.
Prof. Cassola (xellug) iżomm ritratt ta' Toni u Juan u Dr. Inġ. Patrick Attard.
Mela għalfejn dan l-għageb kollu? X’hemm daqshekk importanti fil-partnership bejn gays.
Ftit snin ilu Juan qabdu kanċer go għajnu u din kellha titneħħa. Kien hemm ukoll biża' kbira li l-kanċer seta infirex f’ġismu.
Peress li l-Toni u Juan qed joqorbu l-erbgħin sena il-ġenituri tagħhom anzjani u ma tantx setgħu jgħinu. Toni talab ghal-leave mix-xogħol biex ikun ma’ Juan u dan ingħata il-leave mill-ewwel għax ir-raġel tiegħu kien marid. Hu kien dejjem miegħu fl-isptar u f’każ li l-affarijiet imorru hażin kien jigi mistoqsi fuq kull deċisjoni li tittieħed.
Għalhekk importanti l-urgent family leave jew il-bereavement leave fil-każ ta’ mewt. Jekk il-boss tiegħek ma jħallikx tieħu leave fl-aktar hin diffiċli fil-ħajja ikompli jżid it-trauma ta’ l-armel.
U għalhekk inweġġa meta qassissin qabel l-elezzjoni ħeġġu lin-nies biex ma jivvutawx ghal-Alternattiva għax favur id-drittjiet tal-koppji gay. Dan juri li forsi dawn il-qassissin ma fehmux eżatt fuq liema drittijiet qed nitkellmu u kemm bil-kliem iebes tagħhom jistgħu iweġġgħu nies.
Il-knisja dejjem tipprova żżomm l-imħabba bejn persuni gay bħala maħmuġa u lleġillittima peress li tikseb is-saħħa mis-sens ta’ ħtija u mistħija (guilt and shame) li tiprrova tnissel fin-nies. Madanakollu nafu li–knisja Maltija mhix pożżizzjoni li tkun il-boxla tal-moralita’ f’pajjiżna. Pereżempju importanti li ngħidu li nies li huma sseparati u qed ipoġġu jiġu mħeġġa mill-qassissin biex imorru jitqarbnu f’paroċċa il-bogħod mill-lokalita. Din hi ipokrizija kbira għax min jemmen fit-tqarbin jemmen li tqarbina f’parroċċa għandha l-istess effett bħal tqarbina f’paroċċa oħra u turi l-ipokrezija kbira li ngħamlu kollox għal għajn in-nies. Iktar minn hekk hu ta’ dispjaċir li nies li għaddejjin min separazzjoni ma’ jingħatawx xogħol bħala għalliema fi skejjel tal-knisja u aktar jsofru tbatija.
Ir-risultat ta’ dan it-tgħalim konfuż hu missier li fuq is-sodda tal-mewt tiegħu ma jkellimx lit-tifel tiegħu għax kien gay. Omm li tgħid li kieku kienet taf lit-tifel kien se jkun gay kienet tagħmel abort. Missier li jgħid li jippreferi kieku t-tifel kellu l-marda tal-kanċer milli jgħid li hu gay.
Jien is-sena l-oħra iltqajt ma’ l-E.T. Arċisqof Cremona u għidtlu x-xewqa kbira tiegħi li nies ta’ twemmin differenti jistgħu jghixu f’armonija fl-istess pajjiż.
Jien għidt lil Arcisqof li hawn familji li ilhom snin ma jieklu flimkien għax it-tifel ikun gay. Hemm waħda lizbjana li ilha aktar minn 15-il sena ma tiekol ikla ma familtha.
Jien issuggerejtlu biex fil-messaġġ li jirrekordja fi żmien il-Għid li jixxandar fil-knejjes bil-cassette biex iħeggeġ lin-nisa tad-dar jistiednu liġ-ġara isseparata għat-te' u t-tifel gay għall-ikla tal-Ħadd ta’ wara nofs in-nhar. L-Arcisqof dak in-nhar irrifjuta. Jien ħsibt li hu ha jifimni ghax hu bħali… ma jafx isajjar. Nixtieq nerġa nagħmillu appell biex jaghmel il-dan messaġġ biex vera nibnu pontijiet ta’ rieda tajba, u jekk 10 ommijiet jisimgħu minnu ikun diġa' għaqqad 10 familji.
Huwa importanti ngħidu li jekk ikun hemm partnership bejn koppji gay, dan mhu se jtellef xejn lil nies li ma jaqblux ma dan u mhux se ttelifhom milli jghixu ħajjithom bil-kwiet.
Irridu nqumu bil-wieqfa kontra l-ipokrizija u flimkien niġġieldu l-Injoranza, l-Intolleranza u l-Mibgheda, għax kif qalulna ftit ilu Flimkien Kollox Possibli!!
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I would like to say well done to the organisers of this gay pride march.
I am the spokesperson on Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual and Transgender issues, or in maltese, spokesperson for people who are like 'that'.
I dont know why the Nationalist Party didn´t send the MEP David Casa today, since Mr. Casa really fights against discrimination in the gay bars in Brussels but then fails to condemn violence, torture and discrimination on gays in the european parliament.
Why is there today such a fuss on gay marriage or civil partnership. Do we want it because it´s cool or we want to copy other countries? I'll tell you a true story of 2 spanish friends of mine who were married 3 years ago.
Juan and Toni have been together for 14 years. They got married when Zapatero introduced gay marriage. It was a very humble cermony. They went to the wedding by bus, the cermony lasted no more than 3 minutes and they didn´t even have rings. Afterwards they went by bus to eat in a restaurant with their families.
So why is there all this fuss? What is so important between a partnership between 2 gays.
A few years ago Juan had a cancer in his eye which had to be removed. There was a fear that the cancer might have spread to other parts of his body.
Since Toni and Juan are close to 40 years of age and their parents are getting old, their parents couldn´t help much. Toni asked for urgent family leave at work to be with Juan and it was given to him immediately because his husband was sick. He could stay in hospital and in case of difficulties he would be informed of any decision taken.
This is why the urgent family leave or bereavement leave are important in case of death. If your boss fails to give you the leave when the partner dies, it makes life more difficult and complicates the trauma of the surviving partner.
And this is why I was hurt when priests were encouraging the followers not to vote for AD before the election because we are in favour of gay rights. Maybe these priests didn´t understand what rights are we talking about and they can cause a lot of suffering with their harsh words.
The church always tries to keep the gay love as dirty and illegitimate since it gets its power from the sense of guilt and shame it tries to instil in its followers. On the other hand we know that the Maltese Church is not in a position to be the moral compass in our country. It is important to note that separated people who are co-habitating with a partner (note divorce is illegal) are not allowed to receive Holy communion in their local church and are encouraged to go to another locality far away. This is a huge hypocricy since those who believe in Holy Communion believe that the Communion in one Church has the same value as the Communion in another Church and shows that we do everything so that people don´t talk about us behind our back. Furthermore, it is sad that those persons who are currently separated and apply to work as a teacher is a church-school are not employed, increasing their suffering even further.
The result of this confused teaching is a father who on his deathbed doesn´t talk to his son because he is gay; a mother who says she would have had an abortion had she known her son would turn out to be gay; a father who prefers to have a son who is diagnosed with cancer, than a gay son.
Last year I met H.E. Archbishop Cremona and told him of my big wish that people of different beliefs can live in harmony in the same country.
I told the Archbishop that there are families who haven´t eaten together for a long time since their son is gay. There is a lesbian in particular who hasn´t had a lunch with her family for 15 years.
I suggested that in his message which he records during Easter time, which is played on cassette in all the Churches, that he should encourage the housewives to invite their separated neighbour for tea and their gay son for Sunday Lunch. That day the Archbishop refused. I thought he would understand me beacuse he, like me.... doesn´t know how to cook. I would to make the appeal again publicly so that we truly can build good-will bridges.
It is important to say that if there is a partnership between gay couples, this would not affect the lives of those who disagree with it and they can still live their life in peace.
We have to stand up against the hyprocricy and fight the ignorance, intolerance and hatred because as someone told us, "Everything is Possible when we stick together" (this was the PN- conservatives´- motto for the past election).
12 ta' Lulju 2008
minn Patrick Attard
Nixtieq nibda biex ngħid prosit lil organizzaturi tal-Gay Pride.
Jien l-Spokesperson on Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual and Transgender on issues jew bil-malti: kelliem għal nies li huma… ‘hekk’.
Ma nafx kif il-Partit Nazzjonalista ma bagħtx lil David Casa illum, peress li s-Sur Casa tant jiġġieled kontra d-diskriminazzjoni fil-gay bars ta’ Brussell, imma jbati biex jikkundanna vjolenza, tortura u diskriminazzjoni fuq gays fil-parlament Ewropew.
Għalfejn illum hawn dan l-għaġeb kollu fuq iż-żwieġ jew partnership bejn koppji gay. Irriduh ghax ‘cool’ jew ghax pajjiżi oħrajn għandhom u rridu nagħmlu bħalhom? Ha ngħidilkom storja vera ta’ żewġ ħbieb tiegħi spanjoli li żżwewġu tlett snin ilu.
Juan u Toni ilhom flimkien erbatax il-sena. Iżżewġu meta fl-2005 Zapatero daħħal iż-żwieġ bejn koppji gay. Kien żwieġ vera umli. Marru ghaċ-ċerimonja b’tal-linja. Iċ-ċerimonja damet inqas minn tlett minuti u lanqas ċrieket ma taw lil xulxin. Wara marru b’tal-linja ġo restaurant biex jieklu mal-familji tagħhom.
Prof. Cassola (xellug) iżomm ritratt ta' Toni u Juan u Dr. Inġ. Patrick Attard.Mela għalfejn dan l-għageb kollu? X’hemm daqshekk importanti fil-partnership bejn gays.
Ftit snin ilu Juan qabdu kanċer go għajnu u din kellha titneħħa. Kien hemm ukoll biża' kbira li l-kanċer seta infirex f’ġismu.
Peress li l-Toni u Juan qed joqorbu l-erbgħin sena il-ġenituri tagħhom anzjani u ma tantx setgħu jgħinu. Toni talab ghal-leave mix-xogħol biex ikun ma’ Juan u dan ingħata il-leave mill-ewwel għax ir-raġel tiegħu kien marid. Hu kien dejjem miegħu fl-isptar u f’każ li l-affarijiet imorru hażin kien jigi mistoqsi fuq kull deċisjoni li tittieħed.
Għalhekk importanti l-urgent family leave jew il-bereavement leave fil-każ ta’ mewt. Jekk il-boss tiegħek ma jħallikx tieħu leave fl-aktar hin diffiċli fil-ħajja ikompli jżid it-trauma ta’ l-armel.
U għalhekk inweġġa meta qassissin qabel l-elezzjoni ħeġġu lin-nies biex ma jivvutawx ghal-Alternattiva għax favur id-drittjiet tal-koppji gay. Dan juri li forsi dawn il-qassissin ma fehmux eżatt fuq liema drittijiet qed nitkellmu u kemm bil-kliem iebes tagħhom jistgħu iweġġgħu nies.
Il-knisja dejjem tipprova żżomm l-imħabba bejn persuni gay bħala maħmuġa u lleġillittima peress li tikseb is-saħħa mis-sens ta’ ħtija u mistħija (guilt and shame) li tiprrova tnissel fin-nies. Madanakollu nafu li–knisja Maltija mhix pożżizzjoni li tkun il-boxla tal-moralita’ f’pajjiżna. Pereżempju importanti li ngħidu li nies li huma sseparati u qed ipoġġu jiġu mħeġġa mill-qassissin biex imorru jitqarbnu f’paroċċa il-bogħod mill-lokalita. Din hi ipokrizija kbira għax min jemmen fit-tqarbin jemmen li tqarbina f’parroċċa għandha l-istess effett bħal tqarbina f’paroċċa oħra u turi l-ipokrezija kbira li ngħamlu kollox għal għajn in-nies. Iktar minn hekk hu ta’ dispjaċir li nies li għaddejjin min separazzjoni ma’ jingħatawx xogħol bħala għalliema fi skejjel tal-knisja u aktar jsofru tbatija.
Ir-risultat ta’ dan it-tgħalim konfuż hu missier li fuq is-sodda tal-mewt tiegħu ma jkellimx lit-tifel tiegħu għax kien gay. Omm li tgħid li kieku kienet taf lit-tifel kien se jkun gay kienet tagħmel abort. Missier li jgħid li jippreferi kieku t-tifel kellu l-marda tal-kanċer milli jgħid li hu gay.
Jien is-sena l-oħra iltqajt ma’ l-E.T. Arċisqof Cremona u għidtlu x-xewqa kbira tiegħi li nies ta’ twemmin differenti jistgħu jghixu f’armonija fl-istess pajjiż.
Jien għidt lil Arcisqof li hawn familji li ilhom snin ma jieklu flimkien għax it-tifel ikun gay. Hemm waħda lizbjana li ilha aktar minn 15-il sena ma tiekol ikla ma familtha.
Jien issuggerejtlu biex fil-messaġġ li jirrekordja fi żmien il-Għid li jixxandar fil-knejjes bil-cassette biex iħeggeġ lin-nisa tad-dar jistiednu liġ-ġara isseparata għat-te' u t-tifel gay għall-ikla tal-Ħadd ta’ wara nofs in-nhar. L-Arcisqof dak in-nhar irrifjuta. Jien ħsibt li hu ha jifimni ghax hu bħali… ma jafx isajjar. Nixtieq nerġa nagħmillu appell biex jaghmel il-dan messaġġ biex vera nibnu pontijiet ta’ rieda tajba, u jekk 10 ommijiet jisimgħu minnu ikun diġa' għaqqad 10 familji.
Huwa importanti ngħidu li jekk ikun hemm partnership bejn koppji gay, dan mhu se jtellef xejn lil nies li ma jaqblux ma dan u mhux se ttelifhom milli jghixu ħajjithom bil-kwiet.
Irridu nqumu bil-wieqfa kontra l-ipokrizija u flimkien niġġieldu l-Injoranza, l-Intolleranza u l-Mibgheda, għax kif qalulna ftit ilu Flimkien Kollox Possibli!!
---
I would like to say well done to the organisers of this gay pride march.
I am the spokesperson on Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual and Transgender issues, or in maltese, spokesperson for people who are like 'that'.
I dont know why the Nationalist Party didn´t send the MEP David Casa today, since Mr. Casa really fights against discrimination in the gay bars in Brussels but then fails to condemn violence, torture and discrimination on gays in the european parliament.
Why is there today such a fuss on gay marriage or civil partnership. Do we want it because it´s cool or we want to copy other countries? I'll tell you a true story of 2 spanish friends of mine who were married 3 years ago.
Juan and Toni have been together for 14 years. They got married when Zapatero introduced gay marriage. It was a very humble cermony. They went to the wedding by bus, the cermony lasted no more than 3 minutes and they didn´t even have rings. Afterwards they went by bus to eat in a restaurant with their families.
So why is there all this fuss? What is so important between a partnership between 2 gays.
A few years ago Juan had a cancer in his eye which had to be removed. There was a fear that the cancer might have spread to other parts of his body.
Since Toni and Juan are close to 40 years of age and their parents are getting old, their parents couldn´t help much. Toni asked for urgent family leave at work to be with Juan and it was given to him immediately because his husband was sick. He could stay in hospital and in case of difficulties he would be informed of any decision taken.
This is why the urgent family leave or bereavement leave are important in case of death. If your boss fails to give you the leave when the partner dies, it makes life more difficult and complicates the trauma of the surviving partner.
And this is why I was hurt when priests were encouraging the followers not to vote for AD before the election because we are in favour of gay rights. Maybe these priests didn´t understand what rights are we talking about and they can cause a lot of suffering with their harsh words.
The church always tries to keep the gay love as dirty and illegitimate since it gets its power from the sense of guilt and shame it tries to instil in its followers. On the other hand we know that the Maltese Church is not in a position to be the moral compass in our country. It is important to note that separated people who are co-habitating with a partner (note divorce is illegal) are not allowed to receive Holy communion in their local church and are encouraged to go to another locality far away. This is a huge hypocricy since those who believe in Holy Communion believe that the Communion in one Church has the same value as the Communion in another Church and shows that we do everything so that people don´t talk about us behind our back. Furthermore, it is sad that those persons who are currently separated and apply to work as a teacher is a church-school are not employed, increasing their suffering even further.
The result of this confused teaching is a father who on his deathbed doesn´t talk to his son because he is gay; a mother who says she would have had an abortion had she known her son would turn out to be gay; a father who prefers to have a son who is diagnosed with cancer, than a gay son.
Last year I met H.E. Archbishop Cremona and told him of my big wish that people of different beliefs can live in harmony in the same country.
I told the Archbishop that there are families who haven´t eaten together for a long time since their son is gay. There is a lesbian in particular who hasn´t had a lunch with her family for 15 years.
I suggested that in his message which he records during Easter time, which is played on cassette in all the Churches, that he should encourage the housewives to invite their separated neighbour for tea and their gay son for Sunday Lunch. That day the Archbishop refused. I thought he would understand me beacuse he, like me.... doesn´t know how to cook. I would to make the appeal again publicly so that we truly can build good-will bridges.
It is important to say that if there is a partnership between gay couples, this would not affect the lives of those who disagree with it and they can still live their life in peace.
We have to stand up against the hyprocricy and fight the ignorance, intolerance and hatred because as someone told us, "Everything is Possible when we stick together" (this was the PN- conservatives´- motto for the past election).
Edge Boston: Gays, Atheists, Others Set to Protest Papal Visit Down Under
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=&sc3=&id=77434
by Kilian Melloy
Monday Jul 14, 2008
News.com.au reported in a July 13 article that Pope Benedict’s visit spurred GLBT Sydney, Australia residents to stand up for acceptance.
The Pope was in Australia for World Youth Day, which is reportedly a Roman Catholic celebration. Gays and lesbians of faith responded to the pontiff’s visit with a special mass, attended by about 100 people, at Pitt St. Uniting Church in Sydney, News.com.au reported.
Reverend Dorothy McRae-McMahon of Uniting Church pointed out the red carpet that ran along the aisle and to the altar, saying to the congregation, "On this carpet lie the tears of many people who have been turned away as those who are not worthy to walk it--who have been betrayed by Christ’s church."
Continued Rev. McRae-McMahon, "They experienced hate or judgment, simply because they were not like others, or because they loved in different ways."
Declared the reverend, "On this day as we claim our place, we place our feet on the pathway of faith."
Another minister, Anthony Venn-Brown, a Pentecostal, said that every person of faith, and not juts religious leaders, had a responsibility to resist and work against prejudice.
Said Venn-Brown, "We should do all we can to educate and inform ourselves and others."
The Pope’s journey was meant to include words of comfort to Australian Catholics for the world-wide pedophile priest scandal.
The scandal broke in Boston, Mass., but as the shock waves from the scandal spread around the globe, victims in many countries worldwide stepped forward to share their stories of being molested and sexually abused by priests.
Although pedophilia is distinct from homosexuality and more than 95 percent of pedophiles are heterosexual, the Church’s response to the scandal has been to bar openly gay men from entering seminaries and monasteries.
Some Australians had planned to protest the papal visit because of the sex scandal that has eroded trust and angered Catholics world-wide. Others planned protests because of the Church’s stance on marriage equality and other GLBT equality issues. But a new law passed by the Australian government that bans "annoying" behavior by demonstrators at the Catholic festival sought to circumvent such behavior, reported This text will be the link last week.
That new law has whipped new protesters into a frenzy, with free-speech advocates, atheists, and birth control advocates joining in with gays and lesbians and others to hand out condoms to World Youth Day participants and wear satirical T-shirts with messages such as, "This T-Shirt is Annoying."
The result, which calls itself the NoToPope Coalition, had planned a July 19 march despite the new law, under which demonstrators could face a fine in excess of $5,000.
by Kilian Melloy
Monday Jul 14, 2008
News.com.au reported in a July 13 article that Pope Benedict’s visit spurred GLBT Sydney, Australia residents to stand up for acceptance.
The Pope was in Australia for World Youth Day, which is reportedly a Roman Catholic celebration. Gays and lesbians of faith responded to the pontiff’s visit with a special mass, attended by about 100 people, at Pitt St. Uniting Church in Sydney, News.com.au reported.
Reverend Dorothy McRae-McMahon of Uniting Church pointed out the red carpet that ran along the aisle and to the altar, saying to the congregation, "On this carpet lie the tears of many people who have been turned away as those who are not worthy to walk it--who have been betrayed by Christ’s church."
Continued Rev. McRae-McMahon, "They experienced hate or judgment, simply because they were not like others, or because they loved in different ways."
Declared the reverend, "On this day as we claim our place, we place our feet on the pathway of faith."
Another minister, Anthony Venn-Brown, a Pentecostal, said that every person of faith, and not juts religious leaders, had a responsibility to resist and work against prejudice.
Said Venn-Brown, "We should do all we can to educate and inform ourselves and others."
The Pope’s journey was meant to include words of comfort to Australian Catholics for the world-wide pedophile priest scandal.
The scandal broke in Boston, Mass., but as the shock waves from the scandal spread around the globe, victims in many countries worldwide stepped forward to share their stories of being molested and sexually abused by priests.
Although pedophilia is distinct from homosexuality and more than 95 percent of pedophiles are heterosexual, the Church’s response to the scandal has been to bar openly gay men from entering seminaries and monasteries.
Some Australians had planned to protest the papal visit because of the sex scandal that has eroded trust and angered Catholics world-wide. Others planned protests because of the Church’s stance on marriage equality and other GLBT equality issues. But a new law passed by the Australian government that bans "annoying" behavior by demonstrators at the Catholic festival sought to circumvent such behavior, reported This text will be the link last week.
That new law has whipped new protesters into a frenzy, with free-speech advocates, atheists, and birth control advocates joining in with gays and lesbians and others to hand out condoms to World Youth Day participants and wear satirical T-shirts with messages such as, "This T-Shirt is Annoying."
The result, which calls itself the NoToPope Coalition, had planned a July 19 march despite the new law, under which demonstrators could face a fine in excess of $5,000.
Monday, 14 July 2008
Copenhagen Post: Gays less likely to divorce
http://www.cphpost.dk/get/108235.html
14.7.8
Waiting to get married appears to be the key to living happily ever after
When homosexual couples agree to stick with each other until death do them part, they are more likely mean it than than heterosexual couples, according to recent statistics from the National Association of Gays and Lesbians.
Only 17 percent of same-sex marriages end in divorce, while half of traditional marriages do.
According to association spokesperson Stig Laursen, the reason could be that homosexuals tend to get married later and live together before doing so than mixed-gender couples do.
'I really don't think gays and lesbians are any better spouses than anybody else,' he said.
Marriage therapist Gitte N�rskov said the survey debunked the myth of homosexuals as promiscuous. She said the older people wait to get married, the more successful they tend to be.
'You've got more experience, and you have a better idea of what a relationship is all about,' she said.
Laursen suggested that should same-sex couples considering adopting or having children through artificial insemination should consider getting married first.
'Otherwise, custody issues are unclear if you do wind up splitting up.' (km)
It-Torċa: Wara 17-il sena midfun f’qabar jitlob ‘l Alla jagħmlu normali…Jitratta kwistjonijiet ikkomplikati u jaqsam lill-udjenza bid-daħk
13 ta' Lulju 2008
Minn
Għax minkejja dan il-konflitt kollu, Peterson Toscano illum il-ġurnata huwa magħruf sew għall-ħiliet tiegħu bħala poeta, attur, kittieb tal-kummiedji, stand-up comedian, attivist omosesswali u fuq kollox huwa Nisrani devot. U b’artistrija komika mill-aqwa, il-mod mhux tas-soltu ta’ kif iħares u jinterpreta l-affarijiet, iħalli impatt kbir fuq l-udjenza u jisirqilha l-attenzjoni sħiħa tagħha, jekk mhux ukoll qalbha.
U din forsi hija l-isbaħ ħaġa tax-xogħlijiet teatrali tiegħu għax mhix is-sura tradizzjonali ta’ kif wieħed iwassal il-messaġġ tiegħu. Fil-veru sens tal-kelma, joffri esperjenza, mimlija daħk u mumenti ta’ intimità u ta’ sorpriża li jolqtu l-għeruq profondi tal-pubbliku li jkollu quddiemu. L-istorja unika ta’ ħajtu ħaditu f’postijiet tal-ġenn u laqqgħetu ma’ sitwazzjonijiet li kapaċi jkissruk fil-veru sens tal-kelma, iżda minkejja kollox irnexxielu joħroġ
Meqjus bħala avveniment uniku għal pajjiżna, issa l-pubbliku Malti se jingħata l-opportunità li jara u jisma’ lil Peterson Toscano jippreżenta tnejn mill-aqwa xogħlijiet teatrali tiegħu: ‘The Re-Education of George W. Bush’ u ‘Transfiguration – Trangressing Gender in the Bibble’. Dan se jsir bl-inizjattiva tal-grupp Drachma bil-kollaborazzjoni sħiħa ta’ Warehouse No. 8, nhar il-Ġimgħa, 18 u s-Sibt, 19 ta’ Lulju.
Konflitt intern
Imwieled fl-Amerika
Is-sens ta’ ħtija li beda jħoss wasslu biex jagħmel it-tagħlim tal-Knisja fiċ-ċentru ta’ ħajtu. Beda jħares lejn id-devozzjoni li kellu lejn il-Knisja kemm bħala speċi ta’ ribelljoni kontra l-fidi mhux daqstant qawwija tal-familja konservattiva tiegħu, kif ukoll irtirata mix-xewqat sesswali li kellu. Beda jagħti aktar importanza lill-kelma miktuba milli lit-tifsira tagħha u qatta’ ħinijiet twal il-knisja fejn sar ukoll membru attiv ta’ organizzazzjoni taż-żgħażagħ tagħha. Jgħid li ta’ ħmistax-il sena, waqt li kien fil-kamra tiegħu, ħass il-preżenza ta’ Alla u dan l-inkontru saħħaħlu aktar il-fidi tiegħu.
Wasslu wkoll biex fetaħ qalbu ma’ żewġ nisa li bħalu kienu jiffrekwentaw il-knisja u dawn, waqt li qalulu li kien "twieled mill-ġdid", għamlulu l-kuraġġ biex ikellem lill-qassis responsabbli mill-parroċċa tagħhom. Hekk kif sema’ bit-taqbida li kellu kontra l-orjentament sesswali tiegħu, il-qassis ħadu taħt idejh u beda jagħtih il-pariri u jgħinu jimmemorizza partijiet sħaħ mill-Bibbja b’mod li biddillu għall-kollox il-mod ta’ kif kien iħares lejn il-ħajja ta’ madwaru.
Għall-ewwel beda jaħseb li kull ma ried jagħmel kien li jimla’ ħajtu b’Ġesù u bil-Bibbja, u jibdel ix-xewqat ħżiena b’dawk tajbin. Kien jisħaq miegħu nnifsu li assolutament ma riedx ikun persuna gay għax kien jemmen li dawn jgħixu ħajja ta’ dnub, ħajja li ma kienetx normali, u hu ried li jkun tifel tajjeb. Iżda, minkejja li ma kienx jitlef attività organizzata mill-knisja li kien jiffrekwenta u minkejja l-biżibilju ta’ kotba li qara dwar l-omosesswalità, xorta waħda baqa’ jħoss il-ġibdiet sesswali għal persuni ta’ l-istess sess tiegħu u sab li aktar ma kien jipprova jgħakkishom, inqas kien qed jirnexxielu.
Ta’ sbatax-il sena rrealizza li dan kollu ma kien qed iservih għal xejn, u għalhekk irrikorra għand professjonisti fi ħdan il-Knisja biex jidderieġuh huma. U
Jaħrab it-tentazzjoni
Billi dejjem xtaq li jsir attur u kittieb ta’ drammi, huwa daħal l-Università ta’
Baqa’ jgħix fi
Qabel dan seħħ, iżda, huwa mar bħala missjunarju f’Żambja fejn kien responsabbli mill-programmi tad-drama fuq ir-radju. Issa li tkun raġel miġbud lejn irġiel oħrajn, tkun tgħix f’Żambja u taħdem għal missjoni Kristjana, żgur li ma kienetx ir-riċetta ideali tant li wara ftit taż-żmien spiċċa biex kellu jaħrab
Matul dawn is-snin kollha, Peterson Toscano kien iħoss li qed jgħix f’qabar, jiġġieled b’saħħtu kollha kontra l-ġibdiet sesswali tiegħu lejn irġiel oħrajn bħalu, jitlob lil ‘l Alla li jagħmlu "normali". Meta sab ruħu maqbud fi sqaq li ma jinfidx, irrikorra għall-aħħar tama li kellu, dik li jidħol jagħmel programm terapewtiku residenzjali ‘Love in Action’ li matul is-sentejn li għamel hemmhekk, ħadu fi New York, Colorado, l-Ingilterra, Tennessee u l-Ekwador. Kien iħoss li din kienet l-aħħar opportunità fit-taqbida tiegħu li jsib il-fejqan mill-ġibdiet omosesswali tiegħu.
Maqtugħ minn kważi l-bqija tad-dinja, hawnhekk għex ħajja iebsa u kellu jieħu sehem f’attivitajiet li jwaħħxu, iżda minn dan kollu ma qatax qalbu għax kien jemmen li bit-talb u b’dak kollu li kien qed jiġi sottomess li jagħmel, kien se jbiddel l-orjentament sesswali tiegħu, għallinqas hekk kienu ttambrulu f’moħħu.
Iqum mill-koma
Reġa ħareġ b’determinazzjoni kbira li jwettaq fil-prattika dak kollu li tgħallem, sakemm għodwa waħda fis-sena 1999, qam mill-"koma" li kien fiha u rrealizza li dak kollu li għamel u li kien qed jipprova jagħmel, ma kien xejn ħlief process li kien qiegħed, fil-veru sens tal-kelma, iġennu bil-mod il-mod. Wasal għall-konklużjoni li xejn ma kien qed jaħdem. Il-bidla ma kienetx possibli, għallinqas mhux bidla fl-orjentament sesswali. Iżda matul is-snin kollha li pprova jinbidel, fil-fatt kien inbidel. Sar persuna suwiċida, mimli mistħija u mibgħeda lejh innifsu. Il-proċess terapewtiku minflok bidlu f’persuna eterossesswali, fil-fatt kien kissru emozzjonalment u psikoloġikament. Kien fillġu fiżikament, neżżgħu
Wara li ammetta li kien qed jgħix f’gidba miegħu nnifsu u ma’ dawk ta’ madwaru, aċċetta li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar kien persuna gay u hekk, bl-għajnuna tal-familja u l-ħbieb tiegħu, beda jgħix ħajtu mill-ġdid. Għalkemm għall-bidu kien diffiċli għalih, huwa reġa’ sab lil ‘l Alla. Reġa beda jikteb xogħlijiet għat-teatru u l-ewwel biċċa xogħol kienet imsemmija "Footprints: An Inspirational Comedy", meditazzjoni komika fuq il-poeżija magħrufa "Footprints in the Sand".
Dan kien il-bidu f’mixja li tulha qatt ma ħares lura. Fil-kitbiet tiegħu huwa ispirat mill-poeżija, mill-Bibbja u kitbiet oħrajn kif ukoll intervisti estensivi. Huwa ppreżenta x-xogħlijiet teatrali tiegħu tista’ tgħid fl-istati kollha ta’ l-Amerika ta’ Fuq, fil-Kanada u fl-Ewropa, waqt li jidher regolarment fuq it-televiżjoni Amerikan u anke f’films. Deher ukoll fil-film dokumentarju ‘Fish Can’t Fly’, li jesplora l-konflitt li ħafna lesbjani u gays kellhom mal-fidi Nisranija tagħhom.
Fis-sena 2003 kien ippreżenta s-satira "Doin’ Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House’ dwar l-esperjenzi tiegħu fil-programm ex-gay, ‘Love in Action’, fejn jinterpreta sitt personaġġi differenti. Xogħlijiet oħrajn jinkludu fost oħrajn ‘Queer 101’, ‘How the Indians Discovered Columbus’, ‘The Re-Education of George W. Bush’ u ‘Transfigurations – Transgressing Gender in the Bibble’.
F’Malta wkoll
Fis-sena 2007, flimkien ma’ Christine Bakke li wkoll kienet għamlet il-programm terapewtiku ‘Out of Love’, Peterson Toscano illanċja ‘Beyond Ex-Gay’ (bXg), riżorsa on-line li jgħin persuni oħra li għamlu programmi terapewtiċi simili. Hu regolarment ikun mistieden jitkellem f’konferenzi nazzjonali dwar il-ħsara li jistgħu jikkawżaw terapiji mmirati li jbiddlu l-orjentament sesswali ta’ persuni lesbjani u gay. Fl-preżent, huwa jgħix f’Hartford,
Kien bl-inizjattiva tal-grupp LGBT Kattoliku, Drachma, li Peterson Toscano aċċetta b’ċerta ħerqa li jiġi wkoll
Nhar il-Ġimgħa, 18 ta’ Lulju, huwa se jippreżenta ‘The Re-Education of George W. Bush’ fejn permezz tad-diversi karattri maħluqin u maħdumin minnu, jagħti lezzjoni lil George Bush u lill-udjenza tiegħu dwar: l-istorja, il-gwerer, il-privileġġ tal-kulur tal-ġilda, l-ambjent, is-sessiżmu, il-qari żbaljat tal-Bibbja, l-umanità u ħafna aktar.
L-għada, is-Sibt, 19 ta’ Lulju, ikun imiss li tkun ippreżentata l-kummiedja ‘Transfigurations - Transgressing Gender in the Bible’. Hawnhekk, Petreson Toscano jagħti ħarsa mhux tas-soltu lejn l-iskrittura Ebrajka u dik Nisranija, bl-attenzjoni tiegħu mitfugħa fuq karattri transesswali jew tax-xorta ta’ sess omosesswali, liema individwi huma magħrufin jew mhux daqstant magħrufin iżda li kellhom sehem kbir fil-ġrajjiet irrakkontati fil-Bibbja.
"L-iskop tiegħi huwa li indaħħak lin-nies sakemm ma jkunux jifilħu jidħku aktar u jkun f’dan il-mument li b’mod niġġiż noħroġ fid-deher l-umaniżmu ta’ l-esperjenza omosesswali u nikxef l-uġigħ li jħossu dawk li b’mod iddisprat iridu jew jixtiequ jkun xi ħaġa li m’humiex", jispjega Peterson Toscano.
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