Ex-gay threatened with jail time, fines for testifying about leaving homosexuality

Michie

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‘Anyone who cares about freedom of speech should be alarmed by what is happening to me. If it happens to me in Malta, I assure you that it will soon be happening in other countries across the world,’ Christian charity worker Matthew Grech said.

(LifeSiteNews) – After a Christian charity worker who walked away from homosexuality following his conversion to Christ offered his powerful testimony on a radio show, law enforcement threatened him with possible jail time and a stiff fine for allegedly breaching his country’s law banning LGBT “conversion practices.”

The Maltese government’s action against Matthew Grech, 33, is believed to be the first of its kind and is being viewed as a test case by free speech groups and Christian organizations that aim to protect the rights of former gays and lesbians to tell their stories and live freely without harassment from LGBT groups. Some of the latter assert that Christian teaching on marriage and debate surrounding LGBT lifestyles must be treated as criminal offenses.

Grech’s message is simple: A decade ago, he experienced conversion to Christ, realized that sexual acts outside of male/female marriage are a “sin,” and freely chose to give up the homosexual life he had been living.

If convicted, he faces up to five months in prison and/or a fine of 5,000 Euros.

Grech is one of a not insignificant number of former homosexuals and transgender men and women who face increasing opposition from media and government to telling their often heroic stories to the public.

Criminalizing Christian beliefs

The London-based Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which is assisting in Grech’s defense, explained the importance of the looming court case:

What happens in Malta on these issues is of international significance as Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban what LGBT lobbies describe as ‘conversion therapy’ in 2016.

A ripple effect has followed with other nations, such as the UK and Australia, using the original Maltese legislation as a blueprint for similar bans.

The LGBT lobby, however, has struggled to define what the imposed term ‘conversion therapy’ is. No evidence has been provided to justify the bans, but instead the aggressive campaigning is aimed at criminalizing Christian beliefs on human sexuality and silencing any opposition.

Ahead of the trial, Mr Grech, who says he was shocked when the police called him out of the blue to question him, said: “Anyone who cares about freedom of speech should be alarmed by what is happening to me. If it happens to me in Malta, I assure you that it will soon be happening in the UK and other countries across the world.”

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