After three years, a formerly homosexual Maltese man accused of the “crime” of advertising “conversion therapy” will soon learn his fate, which could include a fine and jail time.
Matthew Grech, who rejected the homosexual lifestyle after becoming a Christian, told CBN News last week that his 12th and final criminal-court hearing would take place July 16, with the verdict to be announced in October.
“It’s going to be the final oral submissions between the lawyers before the final verdict,” he said. “It’s been a very long journey.”
Malta Media
As The New American previously reported, Grech’s journey began in April 2022, when he appeared on PMnews Malta, a free-speech media platform.
Malta had already passed, in 2016, a law prohibiting the performance or advertisement of “conversion practices” aimed at changing a person’s sexuality. It was the first country in the European Union to pass such legislation, which has since been replicated in many other places around the world.
PMnews invited Grech to discuss his own story in light of the anti-conversion therapy law.
Grech told FaithWire in 2023:
They wanted to understand why I view sexuality differently as a Christian, and why I would do such a thing … just leaving and forsaking homosexuality altogether as an identity practice. So, we were discussing it. It was scientific, it was practical, it was spiritual, it was a really interesting conversation.
The topic of “conversion therapy,” naturally, came up during the conversation. The PMnews hosts “were clearly pro-LGBT and wanted to debate the topic,” said Andrea Williams, chief executive of London-based Christian Concern (CC), whose legal arm is assisting in Grech’s defense.
Initially, Grech tried to deflect the conversation to his personal testimony. But when the hosts pressed him on the matter, Grech argued that “conversion therapy” was a political term and that there were scientific studies showing that sexuality can be changed while gender cannot.
Snitches’ Brew
Although the hosts were willing to listen to a different perspective, some of their audience was not. They seized on the hosts’ introduction of Grech, in which they mentioned his affiliation with the U.K.-based Core Issues Trust (CIT) and International Foundation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC), organizations that help gay people shed unwanted same-sex attractions. Even though neither the interviewers nor Grech directed anyone in the audience to seek “conversion therapy,” they were all charged with advertising it after three people reported them to the police.
In 2023, Grech said:
I have the names of the individuals who reported me to the police. I believe they are the same people who publicly clashed with me before, who have jobs with the Maltese government, and are also linked with the Malta Gay Rights Movement. They are afraid of the gospel message we preach that offers change and transformation. It simply tears down all the LGBT lies.
Grech and his interviewers have been fighting the charges ever since.
Doctor’s Deposition
In February, Dr. Mike Davidson of CIT and IFTCC, who specializes in helping those desiring to leave LGBT lifestyles, testified at Grech’s 10th hearing. According to CC:
He testified that Grech had not received any therapy relating to his sexuality and, as such, was not an insider to this kind of therapy. Grech’s role with the IFTCC was to support the ex-LGBT community against the discrimination it faces.
Dr. Davidson also explained that “conversion therapy” is a political term, used to jam the conversation about sexuality and stop proper discussion about the topic. It was the equivalent to calling someone a racist in order to shut down a conversation.
“Frankly, people deserve the right to seek help voluntarily that is fitting for them, that is right for them because people want to live according to their values,” Grech told CBN. “Or, maybe they want to resolve conflicts in their marriage or past trauma with abuse.”
Clause and Effect
Grech, who claims to have told his conversion story publicly many times — most notably on X Factor Malta — before his appearance on PMnews, says the Maltese people are generally friendly toward him, and some even pray with him.
Broadcasters, however, are another matter, he told CBN:
The television broadcasts and stations are afraid to even bring up the subject [“conversion therapy”]. So, before you had both sides of the story being told. Now it’s only one side of the story, and I feel grieved for my country, for my nation, because Malta deserves to hear both sides of the story….
When I was younger, I wish that somebody [had] told me that there was a way out of homosexuality because I would have chosen it — because I’d never wanted to be a victim of an unwanted sexuality in my life.
Grech’s attorneys argued that his speech is protected by both Malta’s constitution and its human-rights laws derived from its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Whether that will carry the day with a government that has plainly taken sides in the culture war remains to be seen. If convicted, Grech could face up to five months in prison and a fine of up to €5,000 (about $5,800).
The outcome of the case will have far-reaching implications, Grech told CBN.
“I don’t know of another case like mine in the world,” he said. “So it’s probably also that this was an attempt to have a test case to see where this would go in Malta.”
