Head Of PN Equal Rights Forum Condemns MP By Name For ‘Hurtful’ Gay Marriage Comment
Jamie Vella, the president of the PN’s equal opportunities policy forum, has condemned Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo by name after he described laws in favour of gay marriage as “inhumane”.
“As the forum whose main goal is to bring about diversity and inclusion, whilst standing up for those most vulnerable, FOIPN will categorically not tolerate nor accept any comments that either incite hate or degrade anyone’s humanity for simply being different than themselves. This has never and will never be accepted,” Vella said.
“As President of FOIPN I unequivocally distance myself from the comments made by Edwin Vassallo in no unclear terms. They are flat out offensive and hurtful, and represent the sort of backwards thinking I’ve made it my mission to help society strive beyond.”
Vassallo was the only Maltese MP to vote against gay marriage when it was legalised in 2017 and he defended his recent comments following the backlash he received.
“This is who I am. I apologise to those who disagree with me, they have every right to do so and I respect their decisions, but I cannot hide the truth of who I am. In this interview, I was genuine with what I know, what I believe in, and everything I’m responsible for.”
The Malta Gay Rights Movement and Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rosianne Cutajar have urged the PN to issue a statement on Vassallo’s comments.
PN Shadow Minister for Human Rights Therese Comodini Cachia appeared to condemn Vassallo’s comment too, saying that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and that she’s looking forward to meeting up with NGOs which represent discriminated groups.
What do you make of Edwin Vassallo’s comments?
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