Twenty years of equal marriage to celecrate International Day Against LGBTIQ-phobia at the UAB
To mark 17 May, International Day Against LGBTIQ+phobia, the Equality and Diversity Service of the UAB has organised an exhibition at the Faculty of Law aimed at the entire university community. The display commemorates two decades of one of the most significant legislative milestones in Spain's recent history: equal marriage.
The UAB Faculty of Law hosted on Thursday 14 May the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition "20 years after Equal Marriage: Memory, activism and future challenges of the LGTBIQ+ community". The exhibition, visible from 6 to 29 May in the entrance hall of the faculty, has been organised by the Spanish Ministry of Equality with the collaboration of the Spanish Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals (FELGTB), the Pedro Zerolo Foundation, and the RUD. It was put together to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the approval of Law 13/2005, by which Spain recognised civil marriage and adoption for same-sex couples.
Through photographs, posters, press clippings, and historical documents, the exhibition reviews the path of the LGTBIQ+ movement from the end of Franco's regime to the present day, highlighting how collective action has made profound social and legislative transformation possible.
The inaugural event was attended by Alberto Lacasta, director general of LGBTI+ Public Policies of the Generalitat de Catalunya; Esther Zapater, secretary general of the UAB; Montserrat Pi, head of Equality Policies of the Faculty of Law; and Ricardo Esteban, dean of the Faculty of Law.
On 30 June 2005, Spain approved civil marriage and adoption for people of the same sex, becoming the third country in the world - after the Netherlands and Belgium - to recognise this right.
“At that time, a decisive step was taken towards equality and non-discrimination”, explained Ricardo Esteban at the inauguration, while also emphasising that the law generated a great debate in society. “It had a very big impact. It made different models of family and way of life visible. And it was clearly a victory for the movements”, Montserrat Pi pointed out at the event, and highlighted that it was a demonstration that “rights are conquered, but they can also be lost, and we must fight to prevent that from happening.” Alberto Lacasta added that, despite the importance of laws, there must also be public policies and a lot of pedagogy to provide support and raise awareness, with the aim of accompanying all people who need it. Finally, Esther Zapater explained that the UAB celebrates this day with the conviction that "the university must be a space where diversity is not tolerated but rather recognised and defended, and where each member of the community can live and express themselves freely and without fear."