Spain asks Europe to act: no more setbacks in LGTBIQ+ rights
For some time now, some people have been warning that certain European countries are taking steps backwards in respecting and protecting human rights. The worrying thing is that this setback directly affects the LGTBIQ+ community. And now, the Spanish Congress has decided to make a move.
The Joint Commission for the European Union has approved an initiative presented by the Socialist Parliamentary Group (GPS) that urges the European Union to use its diplomacy to stop violations of the rights of the LGTBIQ+ community in several member states. It is not a symbolic gesture: it is an urgent call to action.
🌈 What exactly is happening?
According to the proposal, in countries such as Hungary or Romania, laws are being approved that seriously limit the freedoms of the group. These regulations, under the excuse of protecting traditional values, end up stigmatizing, discriminating and violating fundamental rights.
But this, as socialist deputy Víctor Gutiérrez explains, “is not just about these countries, but about the model of society that we want to defend.” It is not just about pointing fingers, but about making clear what values we want Europe to represent.
🇪🇺 We cannot look the other way while fundamental rights are trampled in the EU.
This is not about Hungary or Romania: it is about the model of society that we defend. Spain is an international benchmark and must continue to lead the European response to the reactionary wave.
🗣️@victorg91 pic.twitter.com/LQ31fhKxRV
— PSOE Congress (@gpscongreso) May 13, 2025
✊ Spain, a reference in LGTBIQ+ rights
Gutiérrez, activist and deputy for Madrid, claims our country’s role as a pioneer in legal advances to protect the rights of the group. “Spain must continue to firmly lead the European response to the reactionary wave,” he says. And he is right: laws such as equal marriage or the recent Trans Law have placed us on the world map as an example of inclusion and progress.
Of course, not everything is a reason for pride. The deputy has also pointed out the attitude of the Popular Party, which he accuses of allowing Vox to “use LGTBI rights as a bargaining chip in its negotiations.”
📜 The proposal: more diplomacy, less indifference
The approved non-law proposal (NLP) demands a firm response from the EU. Calls for “all possible diplomatic means” to be activated to condemn laws and acts that violate the rights of LGTBIQ+ people. Because it’s not just about nice words: it’s about defending the principles set out in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The initiative also focuses on the need to continue moving forward, not just to resist. Because real equality is still far away, and any step back is a threat to everyone.
⚠️ What if Europe doesn’t act?
However, there are those who wonder if these types of initiatives are enough. What happens if the EU does not respond with the forcefulness that is needed? What real mechanisms exist to stop governments that, protected by their sovereignty, approve openly discriminatory laws? There are those who fear that diplomacy is not enough in the face of institutionalized hate speech. And it is valid to ask if we are reacting late.
🧭 What can we do as citizens?
Sometimes it seems that everything depends on governments, but that is not the case. As citizens, we also have a role to play: inform ourselves, support organizations that fight for human rights, make discrimination visible and, above all, not remain silent.
Europe is not just a distant institution. It is our common space. And if we do not defend it together, it runs the risk of ceasing to represent us.
