A couple weeks ago, the regional assembly of Madrid passed a proposal which removed several protections for LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people.
The proposal was introduced by Spain’s ruling faction, the conservative People’s Party (PP), and passed with an 80-53 majority. Under the legislative rollbacks, all penalties are dissolved for discriminating against workers or employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Lawmakers also limited citizens’ ability to change their name on regional documents and replaced the term “trans people” in legal material with “transsexual,” a term generally considered to be demeaning. Furthermore, it is no longer a punishable offense to beat someone without causing injury on the basis of discrimination against sexual orientation or gender identity. Madrid is the first region in Spain to rescind these many protections, which were passed back in 2016 with the PP’s backing.
Monica Levin of the People’s Party called the reform a key step in stopping “social engineering” in Madrid, but many other lawmakers were quick to disagree. Carla Antonelli, a trans, left-wing assembly member, wore red gloves and likened the bill to Nazi anti-LGBTQ+ efforts, saying, “When you press that button to vote for this infamy … you will all have blood on your hands. This is terrorism towards trans people. You won’t be able to wash your dirty conscience because we will remind you of it every day.”
Spain stands at a crossroads now as far as LGBTQ+ rights goes. Madrid removal of trans and queer protections is a move resembling the actions of nations such as Russia and Uganda. But not all hope is lost—14 regions in Spain still uphold laws regarding trans and LGBTQ+ protections. And not long ago, in 2022, the nation as a whole passed a bill allowing full gender self-determination for citizens 14 and older—a massive with for the Spanish trans community.
