Tag Archives: Spain

While city officials say “hundreds of thousands” took part in the parade, organizers estimate that around two million attended yesterday’s WorldPride event in Madrid. Deutsche Welle reports: All of Spain’s major political parties, both left and right, led the parade with a large banner that read “For LGBTI Rights All Over the World.” “For all the people in countries who …

The Independent reports: Nicola Sturgeon has said an independent Scotland would seek full membership of the European Union and dismissed suggestions the country would have to join the back of the queue. Scotland’s First Minister also said she was willing to have “reasonable discussions” with Theresa May over the timing of a new plebiscite but warned it would not be …

The Local reports: Just days before his official inauguration at the White House, the new waxwork of the 45th president of the United States was unveiled at Madrid’s waxwork museum. And it did not go smoothly. On a stage in front of the museum surrounded by red, white and blue balloons, the effigy of the President-elect topped by trademark bouffant …

Videos below. The Local reports: Sunday marked the 41st anniversary of the death of General Francisco Franco and far right supporters nostalgic for the dictatorship took to the streets. The demo was organised by far-right groups including Fuerza Nueva, The Spanish Catholic Movement and the Falange. Protestors brandishing placards with slogans such as “Make Spain Great Again” – a reference …

Gone viral with nearly two million views is a touching ad for Spain’s national lottery. The Irish Times reports: The advert shows a lonely night-time security guard getting up every night at 10pm for his shift at a factory which makes mannequins. He decides to set up some of the figures in funny poses for when the morning shift staff …

The Canadian statistics site 10 And 3 has examined same-sex marriage rates in several nations, comparing the number of weddings that took place two years after legalization in each country. Their analysis suggests that same-sex marriages happen at a lower rate in strongly religious nations. They write: We dug into the numbers, and discovered that in some nations, like Belgium, same-sex …

This weekend an estimated 1.5M attended Madrid Pride, which fell on the tenth anniversary of same-sex marriage in Spain. The country’s parliament and senate passed the law on June 30th 2005, with it coming into force three days later on July 3rd. Two weeks later, on July 11th, Spain’s first ever same-sex wedding took place when couple Emilio Menéndez and …

Madrid-based El Corte Ingles (colloquially: The Tailor’s Cut) is Europe’s largest department chain and has 93,000 employees. In their Cupid In Love Valentine’s Day web short, a cologne-spritzer dressed as Cupid runs into an old flame and sparks reignite. You don’t need to speak Spanish to read what’s going on, but maybe some of you folks can provide the dialogue. …

Spain’s King Felipe VI, 46, has posed for the cover of a local gay magazine as a show of support for the LGBT community. According to Latin Gossip, this is the first time that a “high-ranking Spanish official” has done so. Felipe took the throne last year following the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos. The magazine is available …

Spain’s autonomous Catalonia region has approved an anti-homophobia bill which requires those accused of anti-LGBT acts to prove they are innocent, rather than be considered so until proven guilty. Via TeleSUR: The law, passed on Thursday and backed by 80% of the Catalan Chamber, will protect the LGBT community from homophobic attacks. “I feel furious when someone appears to deny …

Spain’s Zara clothing chain, which has 5500 stores worldwide, has yanked a children’s “sheriff” shirt after criticism that it resembles the uniforms worn in Nazi concentration camps. Via the Times Of Israel: For only NIS 80, your little tyke can have that fashion forward fresh from the concentration camp look now on sale at international chain Zara. The children’s 65% …

A Spanish lawmaker says that the nation’s financial problems are due to “subsidies granted to homosexuals” by the previously ruling party. Popular Party senator Luz Elena Sanín told journalists that Spain’s ruling conservative party had increased its public spending due to “the debts” caused by “subsidies for NGOs and homosexuals”. Sanín, who represents Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in …

Via the Telegraph: The heart-stopping moment two passenger planes avoided a catastrophic collision was caught on camera on Saturday. Footage shows a Boeing 767 from the Russian airline UTair coming in to land on a runway at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport. But with the plane just feet from touching down, an Aerolineas Argentineas Airbus A340 slowly taxis across the runway, …

Madrid claims to have put on the largest gay pride celebration in Europe. “I came because I was told it is the biggest Gay Pride parade, and that’s true,” said Christophe Probst, 47, a Frenchman who came from Paris for the party. “It’s fantastic. The whole city gets involved. There is nothing else like it.” The festival kicked off on …

After a nearly 40-year reign, Spain’s King Juan Carlos has surrendered his throne to his son. Juan Carlos, whose health is failing and has had a number of hip operations in recent years, is stepping down for personal reasons, Mariano Rajoy said on Monday. “His majesty, King Juan Carlos, has just communicated to me his will to give up the …

“A lot of people complain and don’t tolerate it but with all respect I say that homosexuality is a defective way of manifesting sexuality, because that has a structure and a purpose, which is procreation. We have a lot of defects in our bodies. I have high blood pressure. Am I going to get angry because they tell me that? …

The mayor of Madrid, who is a member of Spain’s anti-gay People’s Party, has fined the local gay pride committee $216K for violating noise ordinances at this year’s festival. This is the fourth successive year the festival has been fined for noise violations. Past fines ranged from €35,000-€50,000, against which organisers successfully appealed and had reduced or waived. The courts …

Hundreds of thousands of independence activists today attempted to create a 250-mile human chain across Spain’s Catalonia region. The human chain was planned on a traditional regional holiday that last year saw more than one million people come out in protest in Barcelona, the largest show of separatist sentiment since the 1970s. The chain, named the Catalan Way, was due …

Athlete Ally has launched a petition campaign which demands that the International Olympic Committee chose Madrid as the host city of the 2020 Summer Games. Via press release: On September 7 the IOC will choose the host city for the 2020 Olympic Games. Of the three finalists, Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul, one city shines above as LGBT friendly. And only …