We Are Family, bishops of Malta

In a statement yesterday, the representatives of the Church in Malta, Pawlu Cremona and Mario Grech said voters should choose candidates who supported families based on marriage between men and women.



Read my lips Mr and Mr Bishop - We Are Family too.

I, in turn, encourage you to choose candidates who support a clear separation of church and state.

Who'll get the pink vote?

The British government acknowledges my same sex relationship. My Civil Partnership certificate is worth nowt in Malta.

In view of the MEP elections, will someone enlighten me as to who in Malta is promising the best legal recognition of my relationship? It all seems much of a muchness to me. The only difference I have noticed so far is that, in contrast with the rest, the Nationalist MEPs seem to be more reticent and have taken a longer time to sign ILGA-Europe's pledge. The same MEPs were also clearer in stating they were against same sex marriage and child adoptions by same-sex couples.

This does not mean the others get off scot free. Correct me if I am wrong but the other MEP/MEP hopefuls never said they were in favour of same sex marriage and child adoptions by same sex couples. All they promise is to put us all in one multi-purpose basket along with all flat-sharing mates. I find that insulting. I have promised to love, respect and have amazing sex (OK, the last is just wishful thinking) with my partner, taking in the responsibilities that come with such a commitment and I get to be lumped with people who's only thing in common is their address.

Here we are thanking them profusely for the privilege of having met us just prior to asking us for our vote. They'll have to do better than that.

The way I see it is they all feel they're being charitable, whilst retaining at the same time that a love between a man and a woman is way superior. You know what? You NEED my vote and although I'm not a one issue voter (I have already voiced my concern at why each MEP has placed the immigration issue before that of the economy), I might just this one time make sure you never get close to that gravy train.

I don't expect anything better from a closet case who can't resist a boogie amongst bare chested same-sex loving hunks and his "won't dare criticise the Pope" mate, but my respect for those who claim to be liberal is fast disappearing.

Although this is one truly emotional piece on my part, I do hope you will send in your comments about this issue. In principle, I am against throwing away my vote, but I simply don't have the foggiest who's for real in this game.

Parallel worlds

The UK is in the midst of a credit crunch - the real crisis. The British press, the government, the opposition and a good part of the population decide the real National issue is the expenses scandal that has hit the major political parties.

The island of Malta faces the same global crunch. All (yes, all) aspiring MEPs, encouraged by an increasingly xenophobic and paranoid population, decide the major issue facing Malta is irregular immigration.

Online Comments

Attempts by some on-line newspapers at being egalitarian have had the result of exposing us to the uncensored thoughts of the uncouth in all their misspelt splendour. Whole paragraphs in loud capital letters with an interesting use of Minglish assert various gospel truths.

I was listening to Welsh comedian Lloyd Langford on BBC Radio 4's The Now Show speaking on viewers' text messages on news programmes. His comments could very well apply to reader's comments on online newspapers.

There's this common misconception that all opinions are of equal value. They're not. The people who can express a viewpoint on a complex and intricate political situation in 140 characters or less are precisely the people I don't want to hear from. They get their information from a tabloid or a man in the pub, then they chew it over in their tiny patriotic heads, and then they send it via a text message in an even more simplified form, often without vowels. It's like watching a racist Scrabble player trying to use the last of their tiles.

Airy Fairies

Chiara and entourage.

The Guardian today reported that, on the day that Eurovision was held, Moscow riot police violently broke up a peaceful gay pride rally, drawing attention to Russian authorities' appalling record on gay rights. The worst part of watching this year's Eurovision is that no artist has spoken out against this (apart from the Netherlands' representative who did not make it to the finals). I am sorely disappointed in the absence of any public show of solidarity towards Russian gays from Chiara and her Maltese entourage, a good number of who are otherwise openly gay. More hurtful is outspoken UK gay BBC presenter Graham Norton's cluelessness as reported by the Guardian.

Yesterday Norton professed ignorance about the tough line taken by the Moscow authorities against the gay rally. "I feel really bad, but I don't know very much about this," he said.

Ommi ma

On the occasion of Mother's Day, please allow me to digress. My favourite two mother varieties in cinema and literature can possibly be represented by Harvey Fierstein's Jewish mother (Aren't Maltese and Jewish mothers frighteningly similar?) interpreted so magnificently by Anne Bancroft in Torch Song Trilogy and by the thoroughly selfish mother in Jacqueline Wilson's The Illustrated Mum. I would like to point out that this fascination with strong matriarchs probably says more about me than it does about my mother.

I've bought Wilson's book for my niece, hoping my sister wouldn't mistake it for a direct criticism of her mothering skills. In the excerpt below it's the mother's birthday and the children make her a card in the shape of a marigold.

Marigold gave us both big hugs and said we were darlings but her great green eyes filled with tears.

'So why are you crying?' I said.

'She's crying because she's happy,' said Star. 'Aren't you, Marigold?'

'Mm,' said Marigold. She sniffed hard and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She was shaking but she managed a smile. 'There. I've stopped crying now, Dol, OK?'

It wasn't OK. She cried on and off all day. She cried when she listened to the Emerald City CD because she said it reminded her of old times. She cried when I combed her hair out specially and twisted it up into a chic pleat with her new green clasp.

'God, look at my neck! It's getting all wrinkly,' she said. She touched the taut white skin worriedly while we did our best to reassure her. 'I look so old.'

'You're not old at all. You're young,' said Star.

'Thirty-three,' Marigold said gloomily. 'I wish you hadn't written that right slap bang in the middle of your card, darling. I can't believe thirty-three. That was the age Jesus was when he died, did you know that?'

Marigold knew lots about the Bible because she was once in a Church Home.

'Thirty-three,' she kept murmuring. 'He tried so hard too. He liked kids, he liked bad women, he stuck up for all the alternative people. He'd have been so cool. And what did they do? They stuck him up on a cross and tortured him to death.'

'Marigold,' Star said sharply. 'Look at Dol's card.'

'Oh yes, darling, it's lovely,' Marigold said. She blinked at it. 'What's it meant to be?'

'Oh, it's stupid. It's all a mess,' I said.

'It's all the things you like most,' said Star.

'That's beautiful,' said Marigold, looking and looking at it. Then she started crying again.

'Marigold!'

'I'm sorry. It's just it makes me feel so awful. Look at the pub and the high heels and the sexy tops. These aren't mumsie things. Dol should have drawn . . . I don't know, a kitten and a pretty frock and . . . and Marks and Spencer's. That's what mums like.'

'It's not what you like and you're my mum,' I said.

To all mothers, including those who do not fit in a straightjacket definition of family, I salute you.

Substance, Chiara.

I read in the Times today that Moscow has banned the gay parade planned to coincide with its hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest because the city's mayor insists that it would "destroy morals" in the capital.

1. Gay men make up a significant part of the Eurovision audience.

2. We empathise with the under-trodden gay community in Russia.

3. The organisers of the march are asking for artists to back them up.

4. Dear Ms. Siracusa, a designer's dress, lights and makeup may be important but it doesn't take much to figure out what would really make us give you our vote. It only takes a little show of solidarity, a hundred ways of doing that.

'What if we could be free' in Moscow

Back in the UK, for the past few years I have met up with a group of gay friends for refreshments on Eurovision night. We relish Sir Terry's bitchy commentary and I'm sure that this year we expect nothing less from the camp Norton. We make fun of the kitsch costumes and dance routines (Malta has certainly had its share of this). The last thing on our minds is making a political statement. This year, the contest is being held in Moscow.

A press conference was held on Tuesday by the Moscow Pride Movement to launch the May 16 Slavic Pride March. With 50 or so journalists present, they took the opportunity to speak out on Gay Rights in Russia.

I still recall reading about Right Said Fred's Richard Fairbrass and Peter Tatchell's nasty experience at the hands of Russian ultra-nationalist thugs and the Russian riot police at the 2007 Moscow Gay Pride. According to the Guardian the police failed to arrest any of the skinheads who chanted "death to homosexuals" but detained several Europeans present at Pride, amongst them German MP Volker Beck of the Green party, and the radical Italian MEP Marco Cappato. Religious orthodox protesters were also amongst the violent thugs, presumably following the teachings of Christ.

According to gayrussia.ru's report on the news conference:

“Moscow Pride is an incredible platform which allows us to speak and get attention from the public not only about Freedom of Assembly but about gay rights in general in Russia every year” said Nikolai Alekseev in introduction.

“There has not been any more powerful initiative to put gay rights in the society in the history of the Russian LGBT movement” he added.
2009 sees the fourth attempt to host a March for the Rights of Sexual Minorities in Moscow. This year, the event which is to be held together with Belarusian activists was re-branded as the “Slavic Pride”. It is also expected to take place next year in Minsk, Belarus, for the first time.

The temptation for the gay community to make use of the platform that the Eurovision in Moscow presents it with is too great. The march has been timed to coincide with the Eurovision final and this should make things a bit more interesting for me and my gay friends, introducing a serious note into the proceedings. Let us see if the authorities allow for the march to happen. They have not been so forthcoming in the past. Gay activists have sworn they will go ahead regardless.

Energy Saving Bulbs

Forgive me for this is a whinge, possibly even a personal one. However, it's not to complain about the promised set of five (I've changed most of my bulbs both in the UK and Malta already, thank you very much). This is directed at those European companies that are still churning out lamps that don't take energy saving bulbs when the EU have declared that incandescent bulbs are to be phased out by 2009.

Having missed a vital piece of information in the product description, I was stupid enough to order the Kulla lamp from IKEA (Should have known better with a product name that sounds like a swearword in thick Qrendi). The joy of seeing it all assembled was short lived when I realised it did not take an energy saving lamp.

I contacted IKEA UK and the following is the transcript of our conversation:

Hi, thanks for contacting IKEA! My name is Christopher, how can I help?

Hi I'd like to know whether the Kulla lamp can take a dimmable energy-saving bulb.

I will check for you.

Cheers
It does say it does not take an energy-saving bulb but there are dimmable ones on the market.

Sorry, it will not take a dimmable energy saving bulb.

Why is it that IKEA is still producing these when the bulbs are to be phased out in Europe very soon? I suppose I have no choice but to trash it when that happens. Thanks anyway.

I'm afraid I have no intention of filing a suit as yet, least of all of financing other people's out of my own pocket in the style of LP.

01 May

"A day to celebrate the worker,
the least you'd expect is half a day's work."

Gattaldo