Taking backwards steps in the fight for LGBTQIA human rights.
In the Madrid region of Spain, the regional assembly passed a proposal by the Spanish capital’s ruling conservative People’s Party (PP) to remove protections for LGBTQIA people.
The bill amended a regional LGBTQIA and transgender rights laws passed in 2016 with (surprise!) PP’s backing. With this move, Madrid became the first Spanish region to roll back such pro-LGBTQIA legislation.
This time, the bill was approved with 80:53 vote. Aside from PP, it was also supported by the extremist/far right Vox party.
Under this bill:
- People may now legally discriminate against LGBTQIA people, as discriminating against workers on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI) is no longer a punishable offence.
- Physical abuses against LGBTQIA people is again legal, since it is no longer a punishable offence to beat a person without causing injury on the basis of their SOGI.
- The terms “trans people” and “gender identity” were replaced with archaic and demeaning words “transsexuals” and “transsexuality”.
- Changing names on regional documents before adapting the national ID is no longer possible, as this has been eliminated.
- Underage transgender people will only be able to start hormone replacement therapies after examination by a pediatrician and a psychologist or psychiatrist (this is contrary to a 2022 law that allowed transgender people aged 14 and over to change their legal gender without the need for psychological or other medical evaluation).
The bill will be contested before the Constitutional Court.
To date, 14 of the 17 Spanish regions have laws for the protection of LGBTQIA human rights.
