Isidro García Nieto Social worker and sexologist. CCOO Spain

SPANISH BACKGROUND Spain is known all over the world as a strongly catholic, traditional and conservative country. But, is this true? Are the Spanish people so catholic and conservative as people think rigth now?

SPANISH BACKGROUND We are one of the most influenced countries by catholicism. For example, this summer we had the international catholic young meeting…

SPANISH BACKGROUND As a lot of other mediterranian countries, our society is strongly pathriarcal and male chauvinist…* Sexist society.

RECENT SPANISH HISTORY We can not forget that from 1936 until 1975 we were under a reactionary militar dictatorship. Spain was internationally isolated. Strong ideological control and censorship. State and church was intimately togheter. Women rights were dennied. Homosexuality was a crime.

HOW WAS THE TRANSITION? Treatment of LGBT people 1975 CRIMINAL CODE 2005 CIVIL CODE*

The strength of being in the end of the line Spain was in the back of Europe for years about: Freedom. Equality. Rigths. Culture. The spanish people used this strength to improve their social environement.

ACTORS LGTB groups and NGO´s The main task was for those group to make visible the invisible. Give a positive model and general info about LGTB reality. Make sure that the LGTB issue is on the political agenda. Help politicians to develop laws to reach equality.  It´s important to be active, and make the LGTB people visible in society.  Just if you make people know about the discrimination that you are suffering,they will get concerned about it.  That´s the main task of the LGTB groups.

ACTORS Left wing political parties. The left wing party was the historical petitioner of the LGTB people in the political area. With the years and the hard work of the LGTB groups and NGO´s they get concerned. In 2004 the socialist party wins the general elections with Zapatero as president. This victory ends with 8 years of conservative and homophobic goverment from the rigth wing. In 2005 the marriage and adoption was approved.  Work together with politicians is the only way to improve the legal background, and make it better to LGTB.  Little by little you can reach the legal equality.  Visible LGTB politicians can help to the normalization of the collective.

LAW EVOLUTION CONCERN TO LGTB IN SPAIN 1933 Law against lazy and criminals Homosexuals as a danger for the society Law against social danger. Control and watchfulness of those who commit homosexual acts Spanish Constitution Non discrimination on the ground of age, sex or religion. Lgtb group reivindication reformation LRPS. (homosexual) 1988 Public Scandal Prision. Lobotomy. Aversive theraphy

LAW EVOLUTION CONCERN TO LGTB IN SPAIN 1988 Public Scandal abolition in the Criminal Code. It was the continue of the 1934 law. Sexual provocation 1994 First register of civil union (Vitoria) 1995 Criminal Code reformation. Abolition of homophobic sections in the law. Recognition of homophobia as a crime. Different speed in the different territories. 90/00 CEE New legal and political reference.

LAW EVOLUTION CONCERN TO LGTB IN SPAIN /2003 Law Equal treatment. Application of the EU equality directives Civil code reformation in the field of marriage. Not a specific law for LGTB. Same rigths for all Identity Gender law. Modification of gender and name in the ID without genital surgery.

ACTORS Trade unions. Tade unions have played an important role over history supporting the social evolution. They can reach a lot of different groups and spread the equality messages in some of them that hardly can be reached any other way. They make an important role in the education of the workers, trade unionist, and the rest of society. They have a strong influence in social oppinion and in the develop of new laws. Trade unions can help us to make visible the LTGB issue.  Work together to be visible in the “workers days”, “pride”, to intoduce LGTB equality in the trade union trainnings, in the collective bargaining, etc..  Collaboration agreement signed betwen the spanish federation of LGTB associations and CCOO.

ACTORS Social research specialist and surveys. Many people thinks that marriage or adoption can be harmful for the society and specially for the children. This can be a strong obstacle. In Spain the survey about the families of lesbian, gay and bisexual with kids, and their possitive results were essential in the approval of marriage and adoption.  Support and promote the social research and surveys about the LGTB issue, homoparental families, consecuences of homophobia…

Warning!! In the years after the approval of the lgtb marriage, the homophobic reactions increased and were more visible. But in a few months they decreased. (foto manifestación foro de las familias) We still figth against the declarations of the catholic church. The rigth wing parties still want to change the law, and make a special marriage for LGTB. Marriage law is rigth now appealled in the constitutional court.

The chance All the efforts get together, and the 3th of July of 2005 the civil code was rewritten… From this moment thousand of LGTB get married, and have decided to have children. The best weapong against homophobia in the visibilization and normalization. Now Spain is one of the countries in the head of Europe about LGTB rigths…

Thanks