June 28, International LGTBIQ+ Pride Day, was not just a day to celebrate. In Barcelona, it was also the starting point to look to the future with commitment and active listening.
Two flags flew on the balcony of City Hall: the intersectional one, a symbol of a diverse and resistant community, and another in solidarity with Budapest, where Viktor Orbán’s Government banned the demonstration for LGTBIQ+ rights this year. The gesture was shared with the Palau de la Generalitat, which displayed its banner at the same time.
A new plan, with new voices
Under the name “Collective Dialogues”, the Barcelona City Council has launched the participatory process to create a new Sexual and Gender Diversity Plan, which will update and expand the progress made in previous municipal plans (2010-2015 and 2016-2020).
The goal? Not only maintain leadership in the defense of human rights, but actively listen to those who live the LGTBIQ+ reality in their daily lives.
What are Collective Dialogues?
These are six thematic sessions open to debate, organized by the Department of Feminism and LGTBI Services of the City Council. In each one, entities, activists and representatives of the group share experiences, concerns and proposals.
These meetings will make it possible to make an updated diagnosis of the situation of the group in the cityand lay the foundations for defining real and effective political priorities.
The six areas of debate are:
- LBT Women
- Young people
- Intersex people
- Older people
- Hate speech
- Health and leisure
Listen, share, transform
One of the keys to this project is to build the new plan from within, with the active participation of the community, and not only from institutional offices. Because the challenges change, so do the realities. And it is not enough to repeat what has already been done.
Each session not only collects testimonies: it seeks to transform those voices into concrete political actions. From specific health measures to strategies to combat LGTBIQphobia in public or virtual spaces.
Barcelona and the challenge of continuing to be a reference
Barcelona has historically been a leading city in LGTBIQ+ policies, but maintaining that leadership requires adapting, correcting past mistakes and listening without filters. “Collective dialogues” is not the definitive solution, but it can be the beginning of a deeper transformation if it can remain open, plural and committed beyond Pride month.
