Albanian court: Rejecting “parent 1 and 2” is no discrimination
According Pano, such a proposal is the fruit of a “sick society.” “They are so selfish that they want to deprive the next generation’s children of their right to a mother and a father.” Photo CNE.news
Southern Europe
After two years, an Albanian pastor has been declared innocent of insulting the gay community of the Balkan country. According to the pastor, the family and children’s futures were at stake.
On Friday, the Administrative Court in Tirana overturned a decision from the Albanian Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination against Pentecostal pastor and philosophy lecturer Akil Pano. According to the Commissioner, Pano had insulted the LGBT community and should therefore retract his words. But Pano disagreed and went to court. On Friday, the judge ruled in the pastor’s favour.
In the summer of 2021, Pano was asked in a TV debate what he would think of “parent 1 and 2” instead of father and mother. Proponents argued that it would be better if official documents would speak of parents to make the family more gender-neutral. But Pano firmly turned against this idea, calling it “an unprecedented ethical selfishness.” According to the pastor, such a proposal is the fruit of a “sick society.” “They are so selfish that they want to deprive the next generation’s children of their right to a mother and a father.”
Akil Pano is a well-known public figure in the Balkan country. Pano, a teacher in philosophy at the State University of Tirana, is a pastor in the Evangelical Gospel of Christ Church. He is a regular presenter and commentator about current issues.
Animals
But his comments on “parent 1 and 2” went too far, according to the gay rights organisation Aleance Lgbt. They went to the anti-discrimination commissioner, arguing that the word “sick” would be insulting. Initially, the government watchdog rejected the complaint and stated that Pano only exercised his right to express his beliefs. However, the commissioner changed its mind within a week.
Since Pano had also said that a change in the family law would lead to a situation in which “anyone can claim his right to marry his loved animal, like a dog or a cat, or three or four people”, the commissioner claimed that Pano equated gays with animals. According to the Commissioner, Pano went too far and should distance himself from his statements.
However, Pano was not planning to comply. Instead, he challenged the commissioner’s decision before the court, arguing that the commissioner’s request was constraining the freedom of speech. In one of the hearing sessions, the commissioner’s representative said: “Pastor Akil is loved and held in high regard by the people of Albania, and that’s why he has a large audience. He is loving and patient. He has always done a good job in his 14 years of public discussions, but maybe this time, he was not very careful with his statements on parent one and parent two and gay marriages. That’s why our office had to make sure to correct this, as his words influence his audience.”
Family
On Friday, the court in Tirana ruled in Pano’s favour. In a Facebook video, the pastor announced the legal victory by saying the family had won. “Father and mother have won from parent 1 and 2. Today, Albanians that believe in God, the family and the nation have won. To God be the glory!”
The commissioner has yet to react to the ruling.
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