Ex-gay prosecution in Malta is globally significant for free speech
by Carys Moseley, Christian Today:
The prosecution of Maltese ex-gay man Matthew Grech for sharing his testimony in a television interview will take place on 3 February in Valletta. It is the first case in the world where someone is accused under a ‘conversion therapy’ ban. The case matters greatly for free speech around the world.
Maltese Minister for Social Dialogue attacked dialogue.
Matthew Grech is being prosecuted for allegedly ‘advertising conversion therapy’ in an interview on a small conservative television platform in Malta. Helena Dalli, the Maltese Minister for Social Dialogue, ironically attacked TVM, the Maltese state-funded television network for airing Matthew’s interview. Matthew Grech’s interview was swiftly taken down, suggesting that the view that his testimony amounted to ‘advertising conversion therapy’ had prevailed.
Insincerity of Maltese LGBT activists.
At the same time we see breathtaking dishonesty by the former leaders of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, who supported Helena Dalli in this. Silvan Agius was director of the Human Rights and Integration Directorate of the Maltese government under Minister Dalli, as well as being head of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, which is equivalent to Stonewall in the UK. Agius called Grech’s comments ‘problematic’ but said that he had not broken the law as he had not engaged in ‘promotion’ of ‘conversion therapy’. If this is what the Maltese government really believed, why was the interview clip taken down? Was this attack from the government just an intimidation tactic?
Maltese government to stretch the meaning of ‘advertising’.
No doubt mindful of this case, the Maltese government now wants to stretch the meaning of ‘advertising conversion therapy’. On 12 January, the Minister for Reform Rebecca Buttigieg announced an amendment to extend the definition of ‘advertising conversion therapy’ in Malta. According to the Times of Malta the new definition will cover “publishing, advertising, displaying, distributing, referral and circulation of any material promoting the practice.” Malta Today also reported that the Maltese government would bring in harsher penalties, without providing any further details.
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