Parliamentary Secretary calls for stop to homophobic attacks on PN candidate
Equality Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar took to social media to call for a stop to the homophobic and transphobic attacks being thrown at PN candidate Angela Coleiro.
Coleiro is the first transgender woman to contest a forthcoming election, and is doing so under the Nationalist Party’s ticket. She was faced with insults and became the butt of a humiliating meme mock-up by a Labour party supporter well known for coming up with grotesque designs to take political adversaries to task.
This intensified on Sunday after she addressed a PN political activity in Żurrieq.
“I unreservedly condemn the belittling, sexist and homophobic words aimed at PN candidate Angela Coleiro,” Cutajar said on Facebook.
“We’re not smiling at what you do. This kind of talk is of no benefit to the Labour Party, least of all a government that did its best for Malta to be at the top of the league of civil liberties.”
“And one other thing: Let’s stop this thing of calling any woman we disagree with a prostitute. It’s a big disservice to those women aspiring to enter politics. We want to be better, not worse, than our political adversaries!” she added.
Earlier this year, Cutajar won a libel case against former Occupy Justice activist Rachel Williams and opinionist Godfrey Leone Ganado over a comment likening her to a prostitute on social media.
On her part, Coleiro said that she will not let any transphobia hold her back, and that she will only look forward and continue to work hard.
Cutajar was not the only Labour exponent to condemn the insults thrown at Coleiro; the Party itself issued a statement on Facebook, while other figures such as newly-elected MEP Cyrus Engerer and party deputy leader Daniel Micallef did so too, all condemning the messages and posts ridiculing Coleiro on the basis of her gender.
“Whoever is homophobic cannot call himself a Labourite”, Micallef said in the comments board of his post.
Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg subsequently filed a report with the police’s Hate Crime Unit. Hate speech on the basis of someone’s gender identity can get the offender a fine of anywhere between €1,000 and €5,000.
Coleiro will be contesting the 9th and 10th districts in the upcoming general election.