Spain’s LGBT Movement

  1. Calvo, Kerman 2
  2. Pichardo, J. Ignacio 1
  1. 1 Department of Social Anthrology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
  2. 2 Department of Sociology and Communication, University of Salamanca
Llibre:
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics

Editorial: Oxford University Press

Any de publicació: 2020

Tipus: Entrada de diccionari

DOI: 10.1093/ACREFORE/9780190228637.013.1284 GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible

Resum

The LGBT movement has been successful in improving the legal and social standing of sexual minorities in Spain; this includes the recognition of same-sex marriages, joint adoption, and the right to change identification in public registers. The movement has also contributed to a wider acceptance of LGBT diversity at the societal level. LGBT mobilizations in Spain started in the 1970s, with the transition toward democracy. The first political generation of activists believed in gay liberation, supported revolutionary ideas, and defended street protesting. This did not prevent activists from seeking collaboration with the state, as urgent legal action was required to end the criminalization of homosexual relations. After a decade of demobilization, a new generation of activists revamped LGBT activism in Spain during the 1990s, again with a well-defined political agenda: reacting to the devastation caused by AIDS, and also to the changes taking place in the international stage, the new “proud” generation demanded not only individual rights, but also family rights. The legalization of same-sex marriage (and joint adoption) in 2005 was the outcome of a vibrant cycle of mobilization. Contrary to some expectations, the Spanish LGBT movement has not become the victim of its own success. By shifting its attention toward the goal of substantive equality and by reaching out to new communities, the movement remains influential and vigilant against threats posed by the consolidation of new forms of conservative countermobilization.