Parents urged to support their gay children

by Elaine Attard

The Drachma parents’ support group yesterday urged fellow parents of gay people to show solidarity with their sons and daughters instead of driving their children to suicide. Spokesmen for the Drachma group spoke to The Malta Independent on Sunday at the Gay Pride march in Valletta yesterday.

Gay people suffer a great deal, especially because they fear that their family will reject them, explained one parent. “We encourage other parents of gay people to love their children with great compassion and not throw them out of their home. When a gay person decides to ‘come out of the closet’ it is an opportunity for the family to unite and show that love is overpowering. Gay people do not need their parents’ sympathy, they need support to stand up for their rights.”

“We are committed to encourage… LGBT people and their families in an effort to create more awareness of the difficulties faced because of the stigma society unfortunately attaches to those with a different sexual orientation,” states the group’s website. The parents’ group was established in April 2008 and welcomes any parents who need its help.

Although the Drachma parents’ support group is a Christian organisation, its members believe that the Church’s stand on matters relating to their children’s sexuality creates a need for them to come together and decide their own response, as parents of LGBT children. “We believe that there may be an opportunity for the Church to grow in this area also and we are perhaps in the best position to offer our discerned reflections and act as intermediaries with the local ecclesiastical authorities, to ensure that LGBT people feel embraced by the Church,” says the website.

The Gay Pride march, which was attended by around 150 people, was organised by the Malta Gay Rights Movement. It was characterised by gay people and their friends holding bunches of colourful balloons and blowing noisy whistles. Some held placards with slogans such as “I really shouldn’t need to be here”, “Attitudes are the real disability”, “God is an equal opportunities lover”. One particularly large banner proclaimed “Civil rights? = Gay Rights!”. The march went from City Gate, along Republic Street, St John’s Street, Merchants Street and South Street. A small stage was erected in front of the Social Policy Ministry and statements were read out by various political parties and NGO spokesmen. Representatives from the political parties attended. David Agius and Karl Gouder represented the Nationalist Party, Owen Bonnici and Evarist Bartolo represented the Labour Party while Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio and Yvonne Ebejer Arqueros represented the Green Party. German MEP Holger Krahmer, who is a member of the Alliance of the Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), also took part.

Mr Krahmer said in a short speech that the rights of LGBT people were important for him and for society. He pointed out that homosexual people should be treated the same as straight people and should also have the right to be married. He said he look forward to the day when homosexuality is regarded as normal and wondered when homosexual couples would be seen as responsible and trusted and with equal rights to a traditional marriage. “Discrimination and rejection of other individual lifestyles starts in the heads of people and cannot simply be overcome by some anti-discrimination law. Tolerance and the ability for open discussion are necessary to abandon prejudices. Play your part and live in tolerance,” he continued.

Meanwhile, this year’s Gay Pride march marks a number of achievements for the local LGBT community. MGRM are celebrating the Social Policy Ministry’s announcement that the remits of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality will be extended to cater for sexual orientation discrimination. Earlier on this year, MGRM hosted the ILGA-Europe conference, which saw some 400 international delegates discussing LGBT issues in Malta. Discussions on same-sex partnerships have been initiated, even though there are as yet no concrete solutions to the various points of view regarding same-sex partnerships and cohabitation legislation.

PL spokesman Owen Bonnici reiterated that the acknowledgment of civil partnerships is the first step towards other civil rights. With everybody cooperating, Malta should enjoy the same civil rights as in the rest of Europe, he said. PN whip David Agius, was booed by the crowd when he spoke about the cohabitation law that will be discussed in Parliament soon. He pointed out that discrimination is unacceptable at any level and that the PN is committed to ensuring that everyone enjoys the same opportunities. Green parties are the most ardent supporters of LGBT NGOs, said AD chairman Michael Briguglio. “In Malta, even though homosexuality was decriminalised in the 1970s and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation at work was made illegal following Malta’s EU accession, people with an LGBT identity are being discriminated against in various other areas, most notably when it comes to family policy. The LGBT community can rest assured of AD’s support. Unlike other political parties, we do not say one thing to one audience and another thing to another audience,” he said.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=109224

Happy Pride!

'And God saw All that he had made,

and behold,

it was very good"

Genesis 1: 31

Drachma Parents Group | Malta Gay Rights Movement

Drachma Parents Group Malta Gay Rights Movement: "The Drachma Parents’ Group was established in April 2008 and meets once a month on a Thursday at 8.30p.m at Mt St Joseph Retreat House, Mosta. We are committed to encourage and uphold LGBT people and their families in an effort to create more awareness of the difficulties faced because of the stigma society unfortunately attaches to persons with a different sexual orientation. Being a Christian organisation, we meet and pray for our children and loved ones – not because they are bad persons but because we know that God loves them exactly the way they are and made them in His own image. We consider that the Church’s stand on matters relating to our children’s sexuality creates a need for us to come together and discern our own response, as parents of LGBT children. We believe that there may be an opportunity for the Church to grow in this area also and we are perhaps best positioned to offer our discerned reflections and act as intermediaries with the local ecclesial authorities, to ensure that LGBT believers feel embraced by the Church.

Our first get together was on the 9th April 2008 and from that day on, we have not looked back because Drachma is a vital place of support. We organise special meetings during the Easter and Christmas periods which are open to the public – when we pray Holy Mass and then hold a small party to encourage more fellowship and create further awareness regarding sexual discrimination.

We hope to welcome more and more parents and relatives of LGBT people who are willing to join us and – in our own silent way – give hope to those who may still be finding it difficult to come to terms with their loved one’s sexuality.

May God continue to bless our children and our families."

Article: Family: Beyond form (Time of Malta, 2012)

By Christopher Bezzina

With reference to the article Muslims And Catholics Unite Against Gay Marriage But Disagree On Divorce (June 25), allow me to say that Imam Muhammed el Sadi's reproved argument that homosexuality is unnatural, immoral, unhealthy and fruitless is totally senseless and can lead to violence if taken seriously.

Scientific and social science research has proven that gays and lesbians are healthy human beings and very much a product of healthy families. Let us not forget that a tree is judged by the fruit that it makes.

Shall we widen this argument of Imam el Sadi and conclude that the families who have a gay son or a lesbian daughter are unhealthy and fruitless families? Is it so difficult to comprehend that gays and lesbians are a gift from our families (I would even say a gift from God) to society?

Gays and lesbians, like heterosexuals, are the same in their nature and desires to relate, to love and be loved. The religious institutions cannot control this because it goes against God himself and His creation. Yet, today we still hear of gay people being prosecuted and persecuted in Islamic countries. Does Imam el Sadi suggest we should use such measures to control and protect the "traditional" family?

The real factors that are leading to the destruction of the family should not be directed at and scapegoated on gays and lesbians. Gays and lesbians believe in traditional family models but also embrace diverse forms of families because gays and lesbians go beyond a face-value interpretation of the allegorical story of Adam and Eve.

The factors which are leading to the destruction of families are ample: poverty, violence, abuse and religious fundamentalism.

I remind Archbishop Paul Cremona that most couples that choose to get married civilly do so because the Catholic Church institution has proven through the years that it is no longer credible. Sometimes, the Catholic Church institution itself is a major social factor to the destruction of families. Let us not forget the child abuse cases by priests and religious. Let us not forget the promotion of passivity by the Church institution on women who were victims of domestic violence.

Before we can speak of families, we need to truly believe that every person has the right to love and be loved. Families are based on their members who should believe in love and respect for one another. Gays and lesbians believe in love and respect for each other and it is not surprising that gays and lesbians wish to have the right to marry because they understand this treasure of marriage more than those who have it and waste it. The Catholic Church institution needs to be reminded that, like the Christian community, they are on a journey of discovering the truth as revealed in experience and history. The Catholic Church institution does not hold the truth with regard to gays and lesbians but is on a journey of discovering it through experience. There are so many theologians who provide a bit of fresh air with regard to sexuality and homosexuality, such as Margaret A. Farley, John J. McNeil and James Alison. Such theologians teach us that we should go beyond the form but focus on the essence of relationships! The essence should be Christ, based on charity and justice!

The Catholic Church institution needs to go beyond seeing sexuality as simply an instrument of producing children. Sexuality is more than that, it is also a human desire to relate with others. The more the Catholic Church institution holds a negative interpretation of sexuality, the more its members (both heterosexual and homosexual) will end up in dangerous and destructive sexual behaviour towards themselves and others.

For the gay people who are struggling to find a balance between their Christian beliefs and their sexuality, my suggestion is to put your faith in Christ, not just the Catholic Church institution. Do not be afraid, this was the message of Pope Benedict XVI to the youth in Malta. Indeed, do not be afraid; out there are priests and people who go beyond devotion and a morality based on a lack of spirituality.

There are others who are more open-minded in embracing everyone as they really are and are promoting the well-being of everyone.