'Ex-gay' Matthew Grech cleared of promoting gay conversion therapy

A court has found “ex-gay” Matthew Grech and two hosts of an online news programme not guilty of promoting gay conversion therapy.

Grech was charged after doing an interview on the online programme PM News in which he described being homosexual and becoming heterosexual.

Conducting gay conversion therapy and promoting it is illegal under Malta’s laws.

However Magistrate Monica Vella concluded that a public discussion on the subject did not constitute a promotion of the practice.

“This Court considers that the only intention the presenters of the programme could have had was to provide a platform for discussion on this subject," she said.  "There is no doubt that they did not have the intention of breaching this provision of the law."

She said the court considered Grech's intention was to share his personal experience. 

The case stems from April 2022 when Grech appeared on PM News – a programme hosted by Rita Bonnici and Mario Camilleri. He was charged the following year. 

'Spiritual' experience

During the programme, Grech spoke about how he was homosexual and became heterosexual after finding Jesus Christ.

Members of the Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) reported the programme to the police, who in turn prosecuted Grech, Bonnici and Camilleri.

When testifying, Matthew Grech said his experience “was not one of therapy but a spiritual one”.

He also told the court that on the programme he said that homosexual relations went against nature and so defended conversion therapy by arguing that all therapy is about self-control.

He, however, condemned all forms of therapy that involved forcing a person to act in a certain way and only praised talk therapy, the court heard.

Aim to spark discussion

Giving their version of events, Camilleri said the programme was one that was “purely about discussion” and Bonnici said she invited members of the LGBTI+ community to take part in the programme but failed to secure a guest.

Bonnici said that she did not know of the existence of the Malta Gay Rights Movement but would have invited them on had she known.

In her deliberations, Magistrate Vella acknowledged that while promoting conversion therapy is a crime, the court "has great difficulty in considering as a criminal offence a rational discussion that takes place not only on this particular subject but on any subject whatsoever.”

Vella also argued that the law applies to all regardless of their gender identity.

“This court considers that the greatest mistake one can make is to automatically jump to the conclusion that the law, as promulgated, exists solely for the protection of only one segment of our society, namely all those persons who identify as LGBTIQ.

“If that had been the case, what would happen? Would persons who identify as heterosexual seek prosecutions against any presenter who invites individuals identifying as LGBTIQ to speak about their personal experiences on television programmes, social media platforms, newspapers, and so on,” she said.

Debate not promotion

In her considerations, Magistrate Vella pointed to the law that bans forced conversion therapy but specifically excludes any service or intervention related to the exploration and free development of a person.

Vella also pointed to the therapy discussed by Grech during the PM news programme. She said that while the law bans forced conversion therapy, it specifically excludes any service or intervention related to the exploration and free development of a person.

She said that the law does not prohibit therapy services as long as they lead to an individual finding the sexual orientation they feel most comfortable with “in order to find their inner peace”.

“Consequently, provided that no service or therapy is imposed on a person, such a service cannot be considered a crime”.

For these reasons, the magistrate found all the accused individuals not guilty.

Lawyers Conrad Borg Manché and Jeanise Dalli appeared on behalf of the defendants.