The PP Deputy Secretary of Equality attacks the Government, calling the regulations an “administrative procedure” and confirming a proposal to eliminate the registration change without requirements.
If a few days ago we analyzed in Rainbow the general movements of the opposition regarding our rights, today we put a name, face and exact statements to this new conservative onslaught.Jaime de los Santos, deputy secretary of Education and Equality of the Popular Party, has hardened his tone and criticizes the Law Trans of the Executive with a forcefulness that seeks to set the political agenda a few days before March 8.
The popular leader has not kept anything back in the pipeline, articulating a speech that goes far beyond gender self-determination to question all of the equality policies of the current Government.
The spotlight on women’s spaces
The main flag of De los Santos in his speech has been the announcement that the PP will imminently register a non-law proposal (PNL) in the Lower House. His objective is to repeal articles 43 and 44 of what he calls “the misnamed Trans Law.”
The conservative spokesperson reproaches that this legislation has attempted to turn the fact of being a woman into a simple “administrative procedure.” In his argument, he has described as “unacceptable” that the rule allows people who, in his words, were born male, to access women’s locker rooms, compete in women’s sports categories or take physical tests in competitions, such as those of the Municipal Police, with adapted marks.
An amendment to the entire Ministry of Equality
But De los Santos’ criticism has not been limited to the rights of trans people. The deputy secretary has launched direct attacks against the overall management of the Executive, calling it “sexist, irresponsible and scoundrel.” Among his harshest statements are:
- The law of ‘Only Yes is Yes’: He recalled the releases of sexual offenders derived from this norm.
- Protection failures: He has accused the current minister, Ana Redondo, of not using all the tools available to protect women, citing the tragic case of a victim in Ibiza who ended up in the ICU after her anti-abuse bracelet failed.
- The burqa debate: He has reproached the Government for its positions on religious symbols, accusing them of shielding “the prison that a burqa represents” under a false premise of freedom and faith.
The 8M and the street as a political scene
With International Women’s Day around the corner, De los Santos has directly blamed Pedro Sánchez, Irene Montero and Ana Redondo for the unprecedented division that fractures current feminist demonstrations. According to the leader, the “institutional violence” of this Government has caused Spain to lose its status as the fifth best country in the world to be a woman, falling below the top 20.
To stage this position, he has confirmed that the Popular Party will march this Sunday alongside the Feminist Movement of Madrid, the platform that brings together the classical and abolitionist sector of feminism, under the motto “Yes to equality and yes to feminism.”
Listening to our political representatives use LGTBIQ+ rights as a throwing weapon is, unfortunately, a habit. At this point, I invite you to reflect, reader: To what extent does De los Santos’ speech really seek to protect women and to what extent is it a strategy to capitalize on the discontent and division of feminism? How does it affect trans children and youth to hear from the highest levels that their identity is seen as a threat to the safety of other people? The debate is on the lecterns, but the emotional impact is suffered by the community on the street.
