Before the gay parade, the small town of Alcalá de Henares is hung with rainbow flag . (Photo source: European Times special correspondent Liu Xin)
[Europe Times intern reporters Tang Haidong, Xue Baoni, reporters Lin Biyan and Mu Hong report] On June 28, Madrid 's annual homosexual "pride festival" officially began, and the event will last until July 7. During this period, Madrid will hold a large gay parade, including high heel racing, Mr. Gay Pride Espa.a elections and other activities to express support for the LGBT+ community and oppose homophobia.
In recent years, the rights index of Spanish LGBT+ groups has been declining, and homophobic attacks have occurred frequently. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from the European Times in 2018, the gay gentleman Francisco José Alvarado Lavado said that he hopes that the "Pride Festival" can speak out for more LGBT+ groups and change people's views. He also hopes that people who are troubled by homophobia and self-identity can accept themselves.
The world's largest gay pride parade in Madrid has begun
'Madrid's gay pride parade is the largest LGBT+ parade ceremony in the world. The theme of this year is "The Elderly People Without Cabinets: History, Struggle and Memory".
LGBT is an English abbreviation for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders. "+" represents other non-heterosexual minorities such as Asexuals, Intersexes.
There are many activities during the parade and ceremony
ABC News reported that during the ceremony, there are various activities of all sizes every day, and the most interesting ones are the high heel racing and the float parade that starts from the afternoon to the early morning. I don’t know which event to participate in? Why not take a look at the following guide:
htmlOn July 3, a grand music performance will be held in Plazade Pedro Zerolo in Madrid. The well-known Spanish female singer Mónica Naranjo and the well-known Greek female singer Eleni Foureira confirmed their participation. htmlOn July 4, the 12th High Heels Competition will be held in the Pelayo Street in Madrid. The organizer stipulates that participants in the high heel competition must wear makeup, the heel must not be less than 15 cm, and they will travel between two sites during the competition. htmlOn July 5, Puerto Sun Square will hold a performing arts event and select the 12th Gay Mr. On July 6, a massive parade will start from Atocha and extend to Colón. The subway operation on that day was postponed to 3 a.m., providing convenient transportation for those participating in the parade from all over the world.The Heavy History Behind the Rainbow Flag
The Gay Pride Parade originated from the Stone Wall Incident that took place in the United States in 1969. On the night of June 27 that year, police entered the Stonewall Inn (Stonewall Inn), a gathering place for gay and other LGBT+ groups in Greenwich Village, USA, and conducted a search operation as usual.
When police arrested three transgender people, people began to express dissatisfaction, and when a lesbian was violently arrested by the police, the anger of the crowd broke out. Stones and wine bottles hit the police one after another, and some people lit the garbage can and expressed their dissatisfaction, and the stone wall movement broke out.
Four years after the incident, the number of homosexual groups in the United States has surged, from the previous dozens to more than 800. The homosexual groups outside the United States have also shown a surge in popularity, and many countries have launched various powerful gay rights protection campaigns. On June 27, 1970, New York, USA, commemorated the Stone Wall Movement Parade, and June 27 and 28 were designated as "Honey Pride Day". This is the historical origin of the annual Pride Parade in Spain.
Rainbow Chueca: From drug trafficking blocks to open places
mentions Madrid's "gay area", and many people will think of Chueca at the first time. Chueca is a metro station located in the heart of Madrid, named after the last name of the famous Zarzuelas writer Federico Chueca.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, there were a large number of immigrants gathered here, filled with drugs, so more than half of the residents moved out. However, in 1989, the place became the center of the Spanish gay movement. The reason why LGBT+ groups gathered here was because the housing prices here were very low at that time.
In the early 1990s, Chueca Square was one of the largest markets in Madrid, and security issues were particularly prominent. More than 20 years after the stone wall movement, the appearance of this oldest area in the center of Madrid has changed.
Madrid bid farewell to the dark, shameful bars of the 1980s. Mili Hernández opened Berkana, Madrid's first LGTB+ bookstore, which is also the first store to hang a rainbow flag.
PedroZerolo, the leader of the Spanish gay group, is a young lawyer and activist who successfully brought members together to create the soul of the Chueca and LGTB+ movement. It is a joint movement that opens the door to businessmen and the first big entrepreneurs in the LGTB+ world. The first Pride Movement held by Chueca was only 500 people, and the parade was from Tirsode Molino to Plazadel Sol. The second Pride movement was attended by 2,000 people, from Puertade Alcalá to Piazza de Sol. During the celebration of
, Chueca was overcrowded. This region hosted the Europride Festival in 2007. Now the number of people participating in the Pride Festival reaches 250,000. Chueca has also become a well-known European LGBT+ group venue.
Festivals, freedom and inclusion have allowed this community to undergo social changes in less than ten years, becoming a window for the LGBT+ group to show themselves to the world.
2018 Spanish gay gentleman Francisco Alvarado accepted an exclusive interview with the European Times. (Photo source: European Times intern reporter Tang Haidong)
Spanish Gay Mr.: Speaking for the LGBT+ group
In the 2018 Spanish Gay Mr. Francisco won the national championship, and he also won the second place in the global Gay Mr. Competition.
Francisco comes from a small Spanish town called Montenses. He has lived in Madrid for 5 years and is a family doctor.
The first Spanish Gay Mr. Selection was held in 2008 and has attracted thousands of contestants to register so far. The original intention of this event is to increase public awareness and attention to the LGBT+ community, and today it brings huge economic benefits every year. After more than ten years of hardship, the selection of gay men in Spain has become world-renowned.
"Mr. Gay" is a responsibility
Francisco first saw Mr. Gay was at Pride Festival three or four years ago, and he fantasized that he would one day become the focus of the attention. Two years ago, a friend took several sets of photos for him. He used these photos to sign up for the gay gentleman's evaluation and posted it on the image social software Instagram, which attracted thousands of fans overnight. Many LGBT+ organizations invited him to participate in the shooting of gay short films, and some people who were troubled by their homosexual identity left messages on his social platform saying that they felt no longer lonely because of his sharing. This gave him more courage to participate in the election of Mr. Gay and speak for these groups, "Everything may be destined."
Last year, a total of 16 contestants from five provinces in Spain participated in the selection of Mr. Gay and Mr. Gay and Mr. Gay last year, and the top and runner-up of each province were eligible to participate in the national finals held in Madrid. The finals lasted for 5 days, not only interviews, but also written tests on LGBT+ knowledge. The last day of the competition has three catwalks: shirts and jeans, swimming trunks, and suits. The winner participates in the float parade. Due to lack of experience, the 5-day game was too fast for Francisco. He was still unable to touch his head at first, but he eventually met many partners.
Francisco believes that a homosexual gentleman is not only a title and honor, but also a responsibility. The so-called homosexual gentleman should be a spokesperson who can represent the group to show cultural diversity to the world. After winning the championship, he was also invited to give a speech on Pride Day in his hometown and hold a lecture with local organizations.At the same time, he also has more opportunities to contact public welfare organizations and increase the attention of society to this group.
He joked: "If I told me now that I can become a gay man in the future and speak for the LGBT+ community, I might not believe it myself."
In addition, he also actively participated in the #Hazte Visible En El Trabajo on Instagram's topic activity. The sport was initiated by 2017 Mr. Gay Champion Ricardo Tacoronte, aims to change the discrimination and distinction of LGBT+ groups in the workplace. Many people link gays to careers such as barbers and dancers, and judge their ability to work based on their colleagues’ sexual orientation, and Francisco hopes the sport changes people’s perceptions.
Be the real self
Francisco realized since he was a teenager that he liked boys, but at that time the information in his hometown was relatively closed and there was no channel to learn about homosexuality, so he also went through a period of confusion. At the age of 16, the high school psychological counselor gave him great help and guidance. After
, he wanted to come out to his uncle, so he wrote a letter to him, but the seal was accidentally seen by his grandmother and wrote a relatively negative reply. Francisco, who was hit, was discouraged and never talked about this with his uncle again. But not long after, when his grandmother told his family about this, he realized that his uncle had not received his letter. This misunderstanding touched him a lot. He realized that sometimes people seem to think they have been attacked by a certain group or individual, but in fact, that may just be one-sided understanding.
has recognized himself and made his views on feelings more mature. He believes that love is loyalty and is based on deep trust and respect. "I believe in the connection, trust and respect between partners, and I think this is more important than the so-called 'love'."
"You are not alone"
Looking back at his participation experience, he felt that the most important thing was to enjoy the process of the competition. He suggested that the new players could observe others, both opponents and partners. But first of all, you must become your own partner, don’t pretend, don’t do things that go against your original intention, and show your best side.
"This is not a competition with others, not to compare who is better and better, but to become the best self. We must know that the purpose of participating in the competition is to protect this group, assume responsibility and speak out for the group. This should be the original intention of all of us to participate in the competition." He said.
It is unquestionable that in recent years, the gay parade and the gay gentleman selection activities have caused huge controversy, and even many people from the LGBT+ community have raised objections: Since LGBT+ is no different from heterosexuality, why must a special festival be set up? "Because we have to learn to stand up." He believes that it is not the LGBT+ group that is criticized, but the group that celebrates either high-profile or exaggeratedly.
Many homophobs choose to use violence to vent their emotions because they know that their remarks are untenable. For those who are attacked by homophobia and are troubled by their self-identity, he advises everyone to seek help from their friends around them, the Internet, clubs and even the police station. Don’t close yourself, accept your orientation, and live a wonderful life. Finally, he told all LGBT+ groups: "I want to say you are not alone."
Spanish LGBT+ is frequently attacked
From the European LGBTI Rights Report in recent years, it can be seen that the rights of Spanish LGBT+ groups are constantly declining across Europe.
On June 21, 2018, a 23-year-old transgender girl was abused and attacked on the streets of Malasa.a, Madrid. A middle-aged man in his 50s approached her and cursed: "You gay, get out of here. This is not where you should come. We don't welcome gay." Then, he punched her in the head with his fist 3 times, then ran away and left the scene. Five minutes later, the man returned to the scene with a man about 25 years old. The young man scolded the girl and accused her: "It's your fault that you wear skirts and high heels. I really can't understand your strange genders.”
On January 12, 2019, a homophobic violence occurred on the Barcelona subway. A man was violently attacked on the Barcelona subway. His face was stitched 6 stitches and his eyes were slightly bleeding. At 6 a.m. that day, the man took Metro Line 4 home. After four male passengers got on the bus, they found him homosexual, so they verbally provoked him and followed him. One of the young men even said, "Of course you are not a man, you are homosexual" to insult him.
The National Report reported that in 2018, there were 345 attacks on LGBT+ groups in Madrid, a year-on-year increase. 7.5%, an average of one day. These attacks often occur on the streets of the city center, but only one-third of the victims choose to go to the police station to report the case. Among these incidents, homosexual attacks are the most, with 208 cases in the past year. In fact, these data are only a small part of them, because victims often dare not report the case because they are worried about retaliation. If the LGBT+ group is threatened, call the Madrid anti-homophobia 24-hour hotline 618547166. Volunteers will handle the complaints of the attack and accompany the victims to the police station to report the case or to the medical center for treatment.
Gabriel Rodríguez: Madrid Gay Festival is well-known in Europe and the world. I live near the end of the parade, so there are not many highlights of the float parade. I think the homosexual culture in Spain needs to be improved, but I am very proud to be able to live in countries with more than 70% inclusiveness to the LGBT+ group. Homophobia is available in all countries, but we cannot say that Spain is homophobia, because compared to some other countries, we still have a lot of rights. I come from a small town next to Toledo, where people's thoughts may be more closed, but I have never been discriminated against.
La Santa Angela: To be honest, as a bisexual girl, I don’t feel that my group is attracting attention from the media. They often focus on those white gay boys, so I can’t get a sense of identity, but I don’t want to slander them. Regarding the current situation of the LGBT+ group, I think there are good and bad things. On the good side, it’s thankful for the Pride Festival. The more inclusive society is, the more open the society is now; but on the bad side, it’s that many people don’t regard us as real humans, but are just an object of publicity, money and entertainment. If people can truly realize this, our group will achieve real normalization.
Legalization of sexual marriage
The annual pride parade has made many people gradually understand the current situation of the LGBT+ group, which has increased the social acceptance of this group to a certain extent, but there are still many homophobia and discrimination incidents. These events show that homophobia and discrimination cannot disappear overnight, and rights activities and gender education still need to be popularized. It is a long way to go to improve the openness of society to the LGBT+ group.
American Pew Research Center: The number of areas of legalized same-sex marriage is increasing year by year
June 26, 2015, homosexuality Marriage is officially legal in the United States, and it is the fourth year. This is a milestone in the history of LGBT+ and has special significance to this group.
The Pew Research Center data shows that among the 233 countries and regions around the world, 30 countries and regions have achieved legalization of same-sex marriage. Among them: Netherlands (2000), Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2008), Sweden (2009), Iceland (2010), Portugal (2010), Argentina ( 2010), Denmark (2012), Uruguay (2013), New Zealand (2013), France (2013), Brazil (2013), England (2013), Wales (2013), Scotland (2014), Luxembourg (2014), Finland (2015), Iceland (2015), Greenland (2015), United States (2015), Colombia (2016), Germany (2017), Malta (2017), Australia (2017), Austria (2019), Taiwan (2019) and Ecuador (2019).
International LGBTI Federation: The current situation of LGBT+ in Spain is not optimistic
International LGBTI Federation (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transand Intersex Association, abbreviated iLGA) ranks European countries based on data on the previous year's family rights (20%), anti-crime and hate speech (20%), gender cognition and physical integrity identification (20%), LGBT+ asylum (7%), freedom of assembly and expression (8%), opposition to inequality (25%) and other data.
2019 European LGBTI Rights Report pointed out that as the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, the survival status of LGBT+ is declining year by year. Its ranking has dropped from third in Europe in 2014 to 11 in 2019, falling out of the top 10 European countries for the first time, and the rights index fell from 73% in 2014 to 59.98%.
On the other hand, Malta has dominated the list for the fourth consecutive year due to the adoption of a large number of legislative measures, including promoting equal marriage and adoption policies for same-sex couples, with a rights index of up to 90.35%, far ahead of other European countries. However, iLGA has also recognized the legislative progress of Spain's Andalusia, Murcia , Castilla-Leon and Aragon Autonomous Region and other regions.
Regarding Spain's declining rights index of LGBT+ groups, the iLGA put forward the following two suggestions to the Spanish government: First, establish an equal organization and carry out education on clarifying sexual orientation, gender equality and gender characteristics; second, update the recognition of different gender groups by existing Spanish laws and supplementing related policies.
