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A Maltese Christian charity worker is facing criminal charges for allegedly discussing and promoting an alleged conversion after sharing his ex-gay testimony in an interview with online media.
In the case, believed to be the first of its kind, Matthew Grech, 33, a trustee of the Core Issues Trust, is due to appear in Valletta Magistrates Court on February 3, where he will speak with local free speech moderators PMnews Malta, a media outlet under trial, said the UK-based group Christian carethe Christian Legal Center supports charity workers.
If convicted, Grech could face five months in prison and/or a $5,000 fine under Maltese law that prohibits “acts of conversion,” the group said.
Grech believes he was targeted by members of the Gay Rights Movement in Malta, who believe Christian views on marriage, human identity and any discussion related to the LGBT way of life should be considered a criminal offence.
In an online interview posted on Facebook last April, Grech spoke about his childhood, his confusion about his sexuality and relationships, and how his involvement in gay relationships as an adult before becoming a Christian changed the His life is dramatized.
Grech said he disagrees with the term “conversion therapy,” and that the deeper he explores the Bible in the Christian faith, the more he understands that being gay is not an identity but a practice.
He shared his opinion that no matter what sexual feelings a man or woman has, if they have sex with the same sex, they are committing homosexuality in the sight of God and that is a sin.
He went on to say that, like all other sins, a person can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and for the strength to overcome it. He made it clear that he was speaking from a Christian perspective.
Christian Concern said in a statement that during the show, Grech never invited any listeners to therapy or encouraged anyone to seek help for unwanted same-sex attraction.
The case has international significance because in 2016 Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban counseling or treatment for unwanted same-sex attraction, often derided by LGBT groups as conversion therapy.
“Anyone who cares about free speech should be appalled by what happened to me,” Grech was quoted as saying. “If it happens to Malta, I assure you it will happen to the UK and the rest of the world very soon.”
Meanwhile, UK Culture Secretary Michelle Doneland said last week that the government plans to ban conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
More than 500 church leaders from across the UK in a December 2021 consultation wrote Told the government they were prepared to face criminal charges if a conversion therapy ban was introduced.
In the letter, they say they will “continue to fulfill our duty to God” even if proposed ban It took effect.
“We teach our children that God created male and female in his image and reserved sexuality for marriage between a man and a woman and that it should not be a crime. However, this appears to be proposed legislation,” they wrote road.
A sort of consultation paper It said at the time, “The UK is a global leader in LGBT rights and is committed to banning coercive and abhorrent conversion therapy. We want everyone to be free to be themselves and have developed proposals with the protection of LGBT people in mind . Our recommendations in this consultation are designed to ensure that everyone in this country is protected by criminal and civil measures.”
In the United States, the Federal Court of Appeals unanimous support Last September, a Washington state law outlawing the treatment of minors who suffered from unwanted same-sex attraction rejected a Christian therapist’s claim that the ban violated his defense for unwelcome same-sex attraction patients’ right to free speech for counseling.
2013, Ninth Circuit Ruling in favor of A similar California law, the first in the nation, bans minors from undergoing sexual orientation change therapy.
Sometimes called “restorative therapy,” the court defined conversion therapy as an attempt to “change an individual’s sexual orientation from gay to heterosexual, or change an individual’s gender identity from transgender to cisgender.”
Such counseling has been largely rejected by mainstream U.S. psychiatric organizations, and more than 20 states and the District of Columbia have banned the practice on minors.
However, some Christian counselors say their practice is often misunderstood, with the term “conversion therapy” undermining their efforts to help people deal with unwelcome same-sex attraction.
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