Local Press
This page contains recent LGBT-related articles and letters published in the Maltese press. We choose to include all relevant items we come across - including those we find objectionable - and we encourage all those who have LGBT rights at heart to react both online and in the local press. We do our best to rebut as many objectionable items as possible. Thank you for your contributions!
Click on the titles to see the full articles/letters. Some sources are open to online comments.
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The Malta Independent, Wednesday, 21st May 2008
Describing a person as homosexual is not defamatory - Court
The Court of Magistrates in a judgment declared that describing a person as homosexual was not defamatory in today’s society.
Magistrate Michael Mallia ruled that a person’s sexual orientation in the current society was not of social interest bar that of assuring that no discrimination is made. The fact that homosexuality was a criminal offence until 1973, said the magistrate, does not reflect the situation in the 21st century.
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The Times, Tuesday, 29th April 2008
Confusing homosexuality with being gay
Richard A. Micallef, Ta' l-Ibrag
One of the general definitions to the word homophobia is the fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.
It can also mean hatred, hostility, or disapproval of homosexual people or sexual behaviour. Choosing two words from this definition - disapproval and hatred, which meanings are eons apart - it is easy to realise the danger that the majority of the population, that is heterosexual, is facing.
The accusing word homophobic is slapped in your face, just because you express a differing opinion and in addition the Gay Rights Movement is progressively demanding that all homophobic actions become criminalised.
There is a fundamental difference between being a homosexual and being gay. The former is a homosexual (whether the carrier of a condition or out of choice) while being gay is a "coming out" and publicly showing one's condition to be recognised as such before society.
The Times, Monday, 5th May 2008
Marisa Xuereb, Malta Gay Rights Movement, Mosta
In his letter of April 29, Richard A. Micallef gave a very good definition of the word "homophobia", specifically "the fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals." He also supplemented this definition with several "homophobic" arguments in the rest of his letter, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Hence, "the accusing word homophobic is slapped in your face" (again?), not "because you express(ed) a differing opinion" but because disputing facts on the basis of subjective opinion to the detriment of gay people at large is tantamount to "homophobia".
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