Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1072992
NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 JANUARY 2019 86 • 52 • 46 • 47 • 88 81 • 90 • 8 20-01-2019 Draw No: 759 MATTHEW VELLA A former X Factor Malta con- testant who courted contro- versy for declaring himself to have been 'converted' from his homosexuality, will premiere a film in London of his experi- ence with Malta's 'must-stay- gay' culture. Matthew Grech had already made his mark first as an RnB singer and later, in a series of religious video-blogs published in the aftermath of gay con- version therapy accusations against the evangelist preacher Gordon John Manché. Manché has always denied having carried out gay conver- sion therapies, and after pro- tests by Malta's gay rights com- munity, gay conversion therapy was outlawed in Malta. In 2018, Matthew Grech – a member of the River of Love Christian movement led by Manché – appeared on X Factor, and described homo- sexuality as a sin in comments aired before he went in for his audition. The judges put him through to the next round of the singing com- petition. His com- ments raised a social media backlash as crit- ics voiced their displeasure and disgust with Grech's anti-gay remarks. Grech, formerly homosexual himself, reminisced about his 'sinful' ways prior to his 'find- ing God'. "I used to lead a homosexual lifestyle and then I found God," he said, "For a long time, I stopped following my passions to follow Jesus. There can be love between two men or two women, yes. But only friend- ship love. Everything else is a sin." Now Grech will feature in the film 'Once Gay – Matthew And Friends', which will premier in February in London. "Standing for ex-gay in the must-stay-gay culture", is the film's tagline. The film credits similar pro- ductions such as 'Voices of The Silenced', a film about men who no longer identify them- selves as gay and the Core Is- sues Trust, a British Christian organisation which focuses on issues of homosexuality. The film features Gordon John Manché and Ivan Grech Mintoff, the self-styled leader of the right-wing conserva- tive Alleanza Bidla, and other friends of Matthew Grech. Grech's comments on X Fac- tor prompted a reaction from the equality and justice min- istries, which said the airing of his comments on television and YouTube were "danger- ous and place many vulnerable adolescents at risk". X Factor singer releases film taking on 'must-stay-gay culture' in Malta MALTA and Gozo could be set for freezing temperatures next week, as an Arctic blast sweeps towards the central Mediterranean. Social media weather chan- nels are predicting thundery showers and small hail, with strong winds at temperatures that will feel sub-zero as frig- id air penetrates the central Mediterranean. Indeed, the unsettled weather across Europe will be caused by different weather fronts coming from the Atlan- tic and eastern Europe. After a very slow start to the win- ter, Spain and Portugal will be among those countries to suffer the most this week with heavy snow showers and be- low freezing temperatures. A couple of low-pressure are- as will move from the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean, bringing rain to Spain, Portu- gal, Italy and the Balkans. Freezing temperatures ahead Poster for Matthew Grech's film on no longer living 'a homosexual lifestyle'