Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1478813
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 SEPTEMBER 2022 9 INTERVIEW It's a choice of Gozitans who were actually present, was substantially less than the amount of Maltese people who attended. So there is still some resistance – or let's say, some kind of 'doubt' – that might be stopping some LGBTQ individuals, based in Gozo, from marching in public. And that tells us something, I think. It tells us that – in cer- tain pockets, at least – the social stigma is still there; and in some cases, it is still quite strong. At the same time, however, we are extremely grateful that there were so many faces from Malta; that there was so much of an ef- fort, to collectively ensure that Gozo's first Pride March would be a success. But we do hope that next year, in 2023, we will see more Gozo- based residents, taking part in such 'visible' events. Because when it comes to events which are, let's say, 'not promoted as much' – I don't want to say 'se- cret', or 'underground', because it would not be the right word: I'm talking more about indi- viduals going out together, on a friendly basis, in a social con- text… on those occasions, such people DO reach out to one an- other. They DO feel open and comfortable, in a 'safe' environ- ment without the presence of the media… On the subject of media: un- til recently, the flow of public information had always been 'controlled' – for better or worse – by an organised struc- ture. Today, however, there is social media, which gives us a more 'undiluted' view of peo- ple's actual opinions… and very often, the result is homophobia of the most acute variety imag- inable. How do you account for that, yourself? Are we to under- stand that, beneath this façade of 'LGBTQ-friendliness'… noth- ing has really changed at all, except on paper? I wouldn't go that far. 'Except on paper' would be an exaggera- tion: because I do genuinely be- lieve that there have been many social changes, over the last 10 or 15 years. And I can even confirm this myself. Perhaps the biggest manifestation of this change happened last year: when LG- BTi+ Gozo opened its office, 'Qawsalla Hub'… and the Bish- op of Gozo was present for the occasion. That, to me, was one of the strongest statements that the head of the Church in Gozo could ever have made. In si- lence, that symbolic gesture started the process of 'healing', for a lot of people. I would really like to clarify that. When it comes to social me- dia comments, however: on one level… yes, it is a concern, quite frankly. Our own organisation even had to report a certain re- cent comment to the police. I wouldn't even call it a 'homo- phobic' comment, mind you: it was more of an attack on hu- manity in general… OK, I'm curious now. What did the comment say? Basically: 'We should bomb you all. You should all die'… I see. Go on… I won't comment any further about this particular case, as there is now a police investiga- tion going on: the person has al- ready been questioned, and the legal process itself is under way. I have to add, however, that the police took our report very seriously indeed: to the extent that even I was surprised. Once again, it illustrates what I meant earlier, with 'Gozo having the same laws and realities as Malta'. This was a case of hate-speech against Gozo-based LGBTQ in- dividuals… filed in Gozo, and handled by Gozitan police… and it was dealt with very profes- sionally, and with all the urgency you would expect. And I feel it is something that deserves to be acknowledged. But to return to the origi- nal question: when it comes to social media commentary, in general… I think the one thing which is really important, is that we challenge hate with love. For yes: those comments are real… they're coming from real people - including young people, some- times - but they're also coming mainly from 'fake accounts'. Ninety percent of such com- ments are, in fact, posted under fake profiles. And again, this tells us some- thing. It tells us that these peo- ple, whoever they are, evidently understand that what they are doing is essentially 'not right'; they are 'ashamed' enough, of their own opinions, to hide be- hind a fake profile; and that – in some cases, anyway - they are basically just 'having fun' while hidden behind a computer screen. I would be very curious to see, however, whether or not those individuals would have the cour- age, and audacity, to come out and actually say those comments directly, on a one-to-one, face- to-face basis. How would you respond, if someone takes you up on that? First of all, I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with those people, and discuss matters individually. Partly, just to try and understand where they're coming from… but part- ly, also to say, 'Listen: this is not right; this is wrong; and here is why. Now, let's go through the process for you to start your own journey, to be able to un- derstand.' Because it's a journey I myself have had to go through, too. Just as nobody is ever born 'hom- ophobic'; nobody is ever born with a full understanding of hu- man sexuality, either. And I'm no exception: I was, in fact, very shielded from such things, as a child. I had never even heard the word 'gay', before I was around 13 or 14… and 'lesbian', much much later. And I only really understood what it meant to be 'trans', when I was already co-ordinator of LGBTi+ Gozo. The same with the concept of 'non-binary'. I only had a vague idea of what it meant, until one of my fel- low co-ordinators came out as 'non-binary' some time ago. Like everyone else, I had to learn all these things on my own. So I too, am a subject of the same lack of knowledge; and as such, I can fully understand how other people – especially if they come from earlier generations, which had even less access to knowl- edge, than we do – would find it even harder to understand such things, than me. And here, the media has a part to play, as well. Take someone of my parents', or grandparents' generation, for instance. How on earth can we expect them to 'understand' such complex matters… when the only 'ex- planation' they ever get, is from snippets of television discussion programmes, here and there, lasting around 10 minutes each? Nowadays, however – in 2022 – we ARE finding spaces, to dis- cuss these issues openly. Now- adays, we DO have sources of information, accessible to every- one, which people can use to in- form themselves. So if people continue to ex- press that sort of homophobic hatred, today… it is no longer just a question of 'lack of knowl- edge', as it might have been in the past. Nowadays, it's a choice. PHOTO: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTATODAY