The 7th month of the year is globally recognised as Pride Month and Spain is currently one of the leading countries in LGBTQIA+ rights. However, it hasn’t always been this straightforward:
Spain lived through a very tough period during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, while homosexuality was not only stigmatised but also criminalised. Laws such as Law on Vagrants and Criminals and Law on Social Danger and Rehabilitation were used to control and imprison ‘antisocial behaviour’ which mostly included homosexual people.
It was in 1975, once Franco passed away, one of the first and main LGBTQIA+ demonstrations took place in Barcelona, La Rambla. Despite police being able to dissipate it eventually, it became a landmark for LGBTQ rights in Spain.
Between the 1980’s and the 90’s Pride grew in Spain, with cities such as Madrid and Barcelona at the heart. The gay neighbourhood of Chueca in Madrid has now become one of Europe’s biggest LGBTQIA+ marches and festivals.
Here is how Spain became one of the most LGBTQIA+ friendly countries in the world, from being one of the most anti.
Between 1979 and 1995, all provisions and legal references towards discrimination and criminalization of homosexual acts were removed from Spanish law. In the early 21st century, many autonomous comunidades began recognizing same-sex couples through legal partnerships.
A key moment on global gay rights history was the legalisation of ssan-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. They were the third country to approve this law, only beaten by the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2007, the national Gender Identity Law allowed transgender adults to change their gender on documentation without surgery. In 2023, the most recent advancement, allows transgender adults to change their gender legally, without any medical documentation, surgery or hormone treatments.
Nowadays, Pride is recognized worldwide as a party and festival, however it is important not to forget the long history of censorship and repression, to learn and to celebrate freedom of expression.
We chat about this topic on our recent show:
