Lee Bugeja Bartolo says Borg Manche’s LGBTIQ remarks wrong but still sees ‘eye-to-eye’ with him

Former Nationalist Party European election candidate Lee Bugeja Bartolo said he still sees “eye-to-eye” with Conrad Borg Manche, but called his remarks about the LGBTIQ+ community wrong.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Bugeja Bartolo reacted negatively to an interview Borg Manche gave MaltaToday on Sunday in which the newly-elected PN MP questioned the need for Pride marches and doubted that queer people face discrimination on a personal level.

In his post, which he deleted shortly after, Bugeja Bartolo noted how Manche chuckled in the interview as he said “I’m not gay myself”. Bugeja Bartolo insisted there is nothing funny about being gay. He also appeared to refer to Manche as a bigot, telling his LGBTIQ+ friends to “hold your head high and let no bigot belittle you.”

Bugeja Bartolo objected to Manche’s claim that he had never seen or heard homophobia first-hand while growing up, saying he could “write a book as long as the Bible” about his own experiences with homophobia.

“That hit a sensitive spot,” he told MaltaToday later on Tuesday. “I’ve faced homophobia at work, among friends and family, and at school. I’ve moved on, but we have to be careful.”

Asked whether he had been pressured by the Nationalist Party to remove the post, Bugeja Bartolo insisted it was his “personal decision”. He said it is more beneficial to give comments to the media than to share his thoughts on social media.

Bugeja Bartolo told MaltaToday that he has tried to contact Manche to discuss the comments, but has yet to hear back, adding that he believed Manche was busy with work.

Asked about Manche’s comments on Pride, Bugeja Bartolo said it would be wrong to dismiss Pride altogether, although he is open to discussing its form. He stressed the importance of prudence, both in Pride itself and in the language people use.

He said he looks forward to working with Manche on other issues, and respects him for his work on Manoel Island.

In his interview with MaltaToday Manche said he did not see the need to expose young children to drag performances or Pride marches, and that he believed LGBTIQ people were already accepted by society. He also said that pride events showed "how unequal" the community was, rather than advancing equality.

Manche’s comments received flak from several queer activists, including former MEP Cyrus Engerer and the Malta Gay Rights Movement.