A Maltese man is being threatened with fines and imprisonment for publicly testifying to having been freed from homosexuality by Jesus Christ and suggesting that others could also leave the LGBT lifestyle behind.
Matthew Grech, a 33-year-old resident of the island nation of Malta, was served a police summons because he allegedly “advertised conversion practices” during an April 2022 interview with PMnews Malta, a conservative media platform. Such actions violated Malta’s 2016 Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act, asserted Inspector Roderick Attard.
Grech is a well-known proponent of changing one’s sexuality to align with biblical standards. He is a trustee of Core Issues Trust (CIT), a U.K.-based Christian charity dedicated to helping individuals shed their same-sex attractions, and he also works closely with other, similar organizations. He says he has “clashed” with LGBT activists before, so they were undoubtedly waiting for an opportunity to silence him.
According to a press release from the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is assisting in Grech’s defense, during his appearance on PMnews Malta, “Grech shared his story about his childhood and the confusion he had experienced when it came to his own sexuality and relationships. He spoke about how as an adult he had been involved in homosexual relationships before becoming a Christian, which changed his life dramatically.”
“Asked about ‘conversion therapy’, [Grech] pointed out the political nature of the term and when asked, cited known peer-reviewed science that denies that sexuality is fixed or that gender can be changed,” explained a CIT statement.
Grech said that as he grew in his Christian faith, “I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice. This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing, if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin. Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome.”
In a YouTube video (helpfully tagged by the powers that be with “context” from an LGBT activist group that “conversion therapy” is “dangerous and discredited”), Grech said he “answered questions about counseling and why that is relevant and whether people can change.” The CLC claims that “at no point during the program did Mr. Grech invite any listener to attend therapy or encourage anyone to get help for unwanted same sex attraction.”
Simply disagreeing with the prevailing politically acceptable viewpoint, however, was enough to get Grech — and the journalists who interviewed him — charged with a crime and ordered to appear in court in March. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five months in prison and/or a fine of up to €5,000 (about $5,400).
Grech’s attorneys plan to “argue that under Human Rights legislation derived from Malta’s obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as the free speech rights guaranteed by its own Constitution, Mr. Grech had every right to freely share and express his story and views on unwanted same-sex attraction,” writes the CLC.
“Criminalizing someone for telling their story of freedom and change from unwanted and unfulfilling sexual behaviors is discriminatory and violates their Christian freedoms and fundamental human right to free speech,” said CLC chief executive Andrea Williams.
Because Malta’s law has served as a blueprint for similar statutes all around the world, “it is vital to win this case, not just for people in Malta, but for Christian freedoms and the freedom to leave homosexuality and unwanted same-sex attraction across the world,” added Williams.
“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,” stated Grech. “They are afraid of the gospel message we preach that offers change and transformation. It simply tears down all the LGBT lies.”
“I am forced to defend myself in court, but I’m doing it for all Christians and people of goodwill who care about human rights, no matter what opinion they might hold. God is on our side. Victory belongs to the righteous, and we will not bow down to tyranny.”
