Chronicle of artist MAIO's concert: commemorating 17M with music

Even though it’s a rainy day, the Theatre is packed with UAB students and staff to commemorate the International Day against LGTBI-phobic Violence with a concert organised by the Observatory for Equality. At 12:30, the General Secretary of the UAB, Esther Zapater, introduces the event with some figures on discrimination against LGTBI people today that demonstrate that need to commemorate 17M. 

A few minutes later, the room’s lights change and focus on a chair and microphone. Maio Serrasolsas Moreno comes on stage and the audience welcomes her with a loud applause. The artist begins with her hit “Márgenes”, which talks about street violence. With a very intimate atmosphere, MAIO connects with people with songs like “No sé si es una cancion de amor”, “Lluevo” or “Decimales”. But it is the lyrics of “Repíteme” —a song that will be on her next album— dedicated to his grandfather who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, that captivates all the attention. MAIO ends with «Progresso adequadament», to vindicate love, role models and labels. 

Maio Serrasolsas Moreno is a singer from Sant Andreu del Palomar (Barcelona) who, through her explicitly lesbian and transfeminist lyrics, defends collective empowerment and dissident sexualities. In her concert she presented her first studio album, “Des dels marges”, which combines festive rhythms and intimate pieces. Even so, MAIO began ten years ago with the Akelarre project together with her sister Júlia Serrasolsas, from the group Ginestà, who composed last summer’s lesbian song, “L’Eva i la Jana”. 

The General Secretary of the UAB underlined the imperative need to commemorate days such as 17M, as discrimination against LGTBI people is on the rise. In fact, in Spain, the Ministry of the Interior recorded a 70 % increase in discrimination crimes based on sexual orientation last October. The international situation is no better. 64 countries, according to the ILGA report, still criminalise dissenting sexualities. For this reason, the International Day against LGTBI-phobic Violence aims to raise awareness and make visible the physical and verbal aggressions suffered by the group. The date of 17 May was chosen by the United Nations to refer to the moment when homosexuality was eliminated from the international classification of diseases. 

The UAB is committed to the fight for gender equality and LGTBI people through different resources. It has a guide for the incorporation of sexual and gender diversity in Catalan universities. It also has a protocol for action against sexual harassment and harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression at the UAB. Likewise, the IRIS LGBT+ association is a group of UAB students who work for the vindication of the rights of LGBTI people.