The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, also of the PSOE, have participated on Monday in a commemorative act to celebrate the 20 years of the. “That day, Spain became a freer and more fair country. That day, he won love and freedom,” said Sanchez, during the event, held in the auditorium of the Museum of the suit, in Madrid.
“Today. On the contrary. We strengthen our society, we widen the meaning of families,” said the president of the Executive. In addition, memory has claimed as necessary for the health of democracy: “Since 2005, more than eight million have been born in Spain and for them it is normal that two people of the same sex can marry. But before there were those who suffered insults, blows, who were convicted.”
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stressed, “that hope is when the values and the progressive majority are not misleaded.” In 2005, when the law was approved, a part of Spanish society, “with the hypocrisy that characterizes it,” said Zapatero, insulted the government and organized furibly demonstrations against. “They compared me to the devil,” he added, “there were many bishops [en contra de la norma]by the hand of the PP. Interestingly, bishops have now come out to ask for elections. Why the Episcopal Conference did not ask for elections in 40 years of Franco dictatorship. ”
The former president has claimed not only political action, but also to the entire activist movement: “We open many doors.” He also reminded the activist and politician Pedro Zerolo (also of the PSOE and deceased a decade ago). “Love is the only thing that survives death,” Zapatero added.
Since the approval of the Law, which entered into force on July 3, 2005, more than 75,000 same -sex couples have married in Spain, according to the latest official data. “Spain gave in 2005 a historical leap in yes I want. Yes I want to be more democratic. Yes I want more diversity,” said the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, who has also attended the event, together with the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in addition to representatives of the LGTBIQ+State Federation, among other organizations.
Redondo has warned that “there are no irreversible rights.” “The world has become very violent and dangerous, has become dark and the reactionary international has focused precisely on diversity its resentment, their hatred because they know the international hatred and lies that a diverse society is more difficult to submit.”
“We are here because we have a commitment and historical responsibility that we have to assume, that we cannot ignore, it is our historical responsibility to be that contention dike in front of the reactionary wave that threatens to return to the closet, which threatens with the return to the law of lazy and thugs, which threatens with a black and white Spain that no longer exists but threatens to return that sad Spain.”
For the president of the Felgtbi+, Paula Iglesias, that small modification of the Civil Code of 20 years unleashed two unstoppable forces: “freedom and equality.” “He told us to people LGTBIQ+ that we were worthy. In these 20 years the support for equal marriage and the collective as a whole has increased 20%. There is no time for complacency. You have to shield each step taken. And keep moving forward. If we are here today it is because other people put your lives and your bodies ahead to get rights for the whole collective. Now it is time to take the time. A step back ”.
Two decades ago, at the head of the Federation was Beatriz Gimeno, whose action was also very important in the achievement of the law. “You have to recover the feeling of country pride. That people feel proud to live in a country of rights, a country that defends its people,” he said.
