WATCH | Silvan Agius: ‘We have the right to live our lives’

Pride March attendance figures have soared over the years and for equality practitioner Silvan Agius this shows how far the queer community has come in civil rights.

But equally, he argues, that any downturn in participation would be the first signal of a regression in civil rights.

I meet Agius in the wake of the interview I had with newly-elected Nationalist MP Conrad Borg Manche in which the latter questioned the need for Pride and argued queer people were now accepted by society.

Agius had publicly voiced disagreement with many of Borg Manche’s statements, even taking MaltaToday to task for carrying the interview without seeking reactions from queer people.

Agius, a gay man, tells me sweeping statements claiming the queer community has been accepted by society are false, with personal experiences testament to this.

“Acceptance is not systematic. You will not always find open doors. I experience this, and other queer people experience it. We have unique realties which are not experienced by other individuals,” he tells me.

Agius insists equality should not be taken for granted, and the fight goes on. “If anything, queer people need better visibility.”

On Pride, he also slams those questioning its relevance, comparing it to other popular mass celebrations in the country.

“We are a very festive country and we like to celebrate, including during village feasts. They have been organised for a long time. Some could say we have reached our religious climax, and no longer need to celebrate feasts, but nobody says it,” he tells me.

Agius also has praise, not just criticism, for political entities. He praises government for the creation of a ministry specifically focused on equality and human rights, and the Nationalist Party for including widening of civil rights in its electoral manifesto.

The following is an excerpt from the interview.

In 2026, as a gay man, has society accepted you?

It has accepted me, but according to its own rules. The acceptance is not systematic. You will not always find open doors. I experience this, and other queer people experience it. We have unique realties which are not experienced by other individuals. Before this interview you asked whether you can describe me as a gay man—a questions which is not asked to other individuals.

This shows us the disparity in lived realities between queer and heterosexual individuals. We have friends who say they are queer in private, but are not publicly, and I understand that decision.

Does this disappoint you?

I am not disappointed with people who are queer and passing through these challenges. I am disappointed in society that after all that progress, there are people who are still caught in situations where they cannot live their life openly… I want others like me to have that access, and we have not yet gotten to that situation.

You mentioned Pride month, and when Conrad Borg Manche was asked about it, he said it was relevant before, but now that “they have all the rights”, there is no longer the need for it. Before you react to Borg Manche’s comments, what does Pride mean for queer people?

Equality is not reached at one point, and it remains that way for ever. This is like having a plant—because it grew beautifully, it doesn’t mean you stop watering it. If we reach a peak of some sort, we have to maintain it.

We are a very festive country and we like to celebrate, including the village feasts. They have been organised for a long time. Someone could have said we have reached our religious climax, and no longer need to celebrate the feast, but nobody says it.

If anything, queer people need better visibility. We have a number of people in our community who will not attend the march because they still hide that part of themselves from people around them.

When you see all this; isn’t it obvious the Pride march is still needed? A recent report by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights showed there has been a regression in some aspects related to the sector. For example, the environment for queer people just after the laws on gender identity were enacted was better than it is now.

If one goes online under posts related to equality, the comments are shocking. They are not shocking because someone is saying they are not agreeing and putting forward an argument, but because they are just cruel insults.

Another argument brought forward against Pride march is men dancing in skimpy clothing and thongs. What is the need for this?

We have to look at the origins of Pride marches. These are also debates held inside the queer community. You had those in the community who worked towards the ‘respectable gay man’ ideal with suits and ties. But you also had those who said the man in a suit and tie does not represent me, and society rejects me for other reasons. Therefore, they chose to go down the route of staying how they are, so society has no choice but to recognise them for who they are.

I will not go into what is perverse or not, but I must point out that the same people raising these issues stay silent on certain outfits on beachfronts, or during carnival or during the village feast. Their criticism is selective.

It is also interesting how a woman with a thong is ok, while a man in a thong isn’t, if the comparison can be made. It shows you there is a level of disgust at the male body…

With Borg Manche I also discussed the controversy from two years ago when some people voiced their opposition to drag performers teaching people about queer realities. They raised their concerns on why they should be taught such things, and why in drag. How do you respond to this?

Drag has to be seen as a way of bringing in that exaggerated aspect while grabbing children’s attention. It is important to speak to children about this because among them and among their teachers, there are queer individuals.

If we are going to speak about the age children start feeling different, I started at around the age of five. What is he saying? That it’s ok for children under the age of seven to be bullied? That it will not have a long-term impact on them?

The solution is more awareness. I will not get into the debate on the use of drag, what I will say is that awareness is important.

Questioning whether we should teach children or not, reinforces the idea of classifying people as normal or not normal. Who decides who is normal or not? The Constitution says sexual orientation is protected and all at the same level. So why cannot that principle be applied also in education?

The reaction of many who are part of the queer community, or who do not agree with Borg Manche, was to not seek debate or discussion on the issue. Is this the wrong approach?

We have been debating and conversing for a long time. We are expected to get targeted, and at the same time educate people. Those who want to know about the subject can research on it.

When we are speaking about society, it learns and evolves. People who make an effort learn, while people who don’t will try to ridicule and push away the possibility of enforcing equality.

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No other community in Malta, other than migrants, is told to abide by these standards. In some sense there are a number of similarities between us.

We have the right to live our lives, but we are expected to put all this on hold and educate people with the hope of them understanding so I can maybe live my life in peace. Why? Why are these people not saying that I have a right, as a queer person, to live my life?