Once again, organizations, associations, and companies from the LGTBI community in Catalonia come together to celebrate Pride, the great festival of Pride.

June 28th is, for us, a very important date for protest and raising our voices. Because despite the significant progress we have made, our community still suffers from discrimination, bullying, rejection, and invisibility by a large part of society. And until we can put an end to all of this, we will continue to raise our voices and denounce injustices — for as long as it takes, until not only in Barcelona, not only in Catalonia, but all over the world, the LGTBI community is treated with respect, equal rights, and dignity.

But June 28th is also a very important day of celebration, of joy, of festivity — a day to take to the streets and proudly and powerfully shout that we feel good being who we are, as an act of gratitude to all those who came before us and fought to defend our rights, and as an act of visibility that can serve those coming after us as a reference and as hope — to show them that happiness is possible by living how you feel, loving freely, relating without taboos, and building the family of your dreams.

Yes, it’s possible. Absolutely possible!

And to help build this better world, without discrimination and with freedom,

WE DENOUNCE:

  • That members of the LGTBI community still suffer from bullying in schools and high schools, in workplaces, in care homes, and even within our own families.
  • We denounce that bullying is a violent act and, as such, cannot be tolerated — especially when aimed at minors, who are so unprotected and vulnerable while still shaping their identities and building their personalities.
  • Nor should it be tolerated when directed at people in vulnerable situations, such as the elderly, transsexual and transgender individuals, and those with dependencies, whether due to illness, poverty, or the need for psychological or psychiatric care. The psychological effects of bullying in childhood or at school can last a lifetime and clearly impact the emotional well-being of victims.
  • We denounce that despite the approval of the law against LGTBIphobia, situations of harassment, verbal abuse, social exclusion, and physical aggression continue to occur with a certain degree of impunity.
  • We denounce blood donation laws that identify our entire community with high-risk behavior and support the struggle for equality in countries like France, where even today gay men are banned from donating blood. We cannot allow institutional homophobia within the European Union that violates fundamental rights.
  • We denounce that LGTBIphobia kills! Every week we receive news of children and adolescents who are taking their own lives because they can no longer endure the bullying they suffer — either for being LGTBI themselves or for being perceived as such. The sense of utter loneliness and the feeling that they’ll never escape the pit they’ve been thrown into becomes insurmountable.

WE DEMAND:

  • That public institutions and government bodies mobilize all the necessary resources (both financial and human) to effectively implement the law against LGTBIphobia.
  • We demand a mandatory training program for all public sector employees (in healthcare, administration, education, justice, etc.) to ensure the law against LGTBIphobia is known and that the LGTBI community is positively represented, with all its rights and responsibilities.
  • We demand that institutions and educational centers work intensively toward creating safe schools — places where all children can live out their emotional and sexual orientation and gender identity with full freedom and respect, and where diverse family realities are accepted.
  • We demand that schools and high schools start to visibly include affective-sexual and family diversity in classrooms, and that these topics be integrated transversally into all levels of education, from early childhood through university.
  • We demand that the media and advertising sectors further commit to portraying the full spectrum of LGTBI realities, at all stages of life.
  • We demand that members of the LGTBI community live our emotional, sexual, gender, and family realities with pride — that we make ourselves visible in all areas of life, without shame or self-doubt. With pride! And that we report any indication of homophobic discrimination or bullying. We cannot let a single incident pass. Not one act of homophobic violence should go unpunished!

WE WANT:

  • To maintain the rights we have won through years and years of struggle. Rights can be gained, but they can also be lost. Let’s continue to claim and expand them, let’s exercise and defend them.
  • To build a better world of freedom and respect for diversity — not only on paper, but in real actions.
  • For future generations to grow up with an awareness of respect and integration of LGTBI realities, to eliminate LGTBIphobic bullying, and to defend the rights of our community as human rights — as rights of their own society.
  • To send a clear message to LGTBI children and adolescents: you are not alone. There are many of us working to ensure you can live your truth naturally, without trauma, and in a healthy and happy way.

Coming out of the closet makes life better!