"We Will Not Allow This Country to Be Pushed Back into the Closet"

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared on Monday that "we will not allow anyone to push Spain back into the closet and undo all the progress made in LGTBI+ rights and inclusion." He made these remarks during the closing speech at the event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage, held at the Costume Museum in Madrid, organized by the Ministry of Equality and the LGTBI+ Federation. Among those present were former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, under whose government the law was passed on June 30, 2005; Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska; Equality Minister Ana Redondo; and Federation President Paula Iglesias. The event was framed by a large screen displaying 'Historic Yes. A Country with Rights. A Country with Pride.'

Sánchez used the occasion to remind that 20 years ago "this country chose to move forward, and we will not allow it to be pushed back into the closet, into silence or fear. Spain is not Hungary, and allow me to simplify because the Hungarian society deserves all our respect," he said, referring to the restrictive LGTBI rights policies of the ultra-conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "But the streets of Madrid will indeed be those of Budapest, because this Pride we are fighting for everything we still have to conquer here, but we are also doing it for all those who cannot raise their voices in their countries. To all of them, I say, Spain is your home," Sánchez stated.

"Here in Spain, we have learned that freedom is not a destination, it is a daily commitment. Here, we do not go backwards, we move forward, always looking ahead and living with pride in our country and pride in its people," Sánchez affirmed, recalling the late Canarian socialist leader and activist Pedro Zerolo, a true architect of that social rights advancement that has allowed more than 75,000 same-sex couples to marry in these two decades.

Sánchez expressed gratitude to those who made that measure possible, including the activists of the time, the collectives, the families, the political leaders, and the "brave vote" of the parliamentary groups that supported the revolutionary legislative reform, including PSOE, IU, ERC, PNV, and Coalición Canaria. He specifically mentioned the votes in favor from two Convergencia i Unió deputies "and one PP deputy," the only PP member who voted in favor, the Malaga-born Celia Villalobos. "To all of them, thank you. Since then, we have not stopped, but there is much more to do."

Sánchez reviewed some of the achievements in LGTBI rights in recent years and mentioned the so-called Comprehensive Law for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination, also known as the 'Zerolo Law,' the Law for the Guarantee of LGTBI Rights, the Trans Law, and the rainbow helpline 028, a comprehensive support line for those who need help or support "or simply someone to listen without judgment."

"Every step we have taken has been a conquest of freedom," said the socialist leader, who also highlighted the recent PSOE bill to penalize controversial conversion therapies in the Penal Code. "The only ones who need to change are those who hate, the only ones who need to convert to fit into this society are them. That's why I want to send a message to all LGTBI people, to all those who were ever told you were a mistake or that you needed to change, I want to tell you that what they try to erase from you, today we will protect by law," he emphasized.

For Sánchez, "Spain is a better country, but not a perfect country," and he recalled the brutal homophobic attack that ended with the murder of Samuel Luiz in La Coruña, or that there are still teenagers "who feel fear, who suffer bullying at school or silence at home." He warned against speeches "that disguise hatred as freedom of expression, that deny identities and stir up fear."

He also pointed out that we do not live in a perfect world. "In fact, our world is increasingly hostile, more warlike, more prone to conflict and confrontation, more susceptible to succumbing to the siren songs of wars that never bring anything good." In this situation, he advocated for diplomacy, dialogue, and multilateralism "as the best way for our peoples to coexist on a planet we share." "To those speeches of war and hatred," he indicated, referring to recent events that have shaken the world, "we say clearly that they can do a lot of harm, as they are doing, but they will not win."

For her part, Equality Minister Ana Redondo, who also spoke at the event, highlighted that today was a day of "celebration of freedom and equality," and recalled that the historic leap of the 'I do' 20 years ago was also a 'yes' to more freedom and a 'yes' to more diversity. Redondo said that the change in the law has allowed thousands of families to develop their life projects, "even families from the parties that voted against equal marriage and challenged it in the Constitutional Court." She also stated that she will not tolerate a step back, but rather "we will take a leap forward," and criticized those who refuse to display "the wonderful pride flags," referring to cities that refuse to hoist the banner on official buildings.

"The Spanish society feels mostly proud of the progress made in terms of equality and diversity. Because a society that leaves no one behind is a better society. The Spanish society values justice and has integrated equality as one of its fundamental pillars," Redondo noted. "It may seem that hatred makes more noise, but our society already shouted loudly 20 years ago yes to rights, yes to diversity, yes to a just society," she emphasized.

For her part, LGTBI+ Federation President Paula Iglesias admitted that there is no time for complacency and that it is time to safeguard "every step achieved" and to continue expanding rights because true democracy is not only measured by the laws that are passed, but by their ability to implement, develop, and sustain them against those who want to erase or empty them of content. "It is not an unfounded fear," she cited a survey conducted by the Federation, according to which 74% of the LGTBI+ population believes that the arrival of an ultra-conservative government would endanger their rights. "From here, my commitment and that of the entire State LGTBI+ Federation, not to stop on this path towards real equality. We owe it to you. If I can be here today, if we can be here, it is thanks to all those people who, when you had nothing to lose but your own life, which is not little, you put it forward so that others today can wear the same shoes, but more comfortably and lightly. Now that we have much to lose, it is time to settle that historical debt, to become aware, to remember, and together to continue building walls that stop hatred," Iglesias concluded.