Spain’s new Equality Minister, Irene Montero of Unidas Podemos, has named two longtime LGBT activists and former presidents of the National Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals (FELGTB) to key positions within the ministry.
Former FELGTB President Boti García Rodrigo and recipient of a Gold Medal in 2018 from the Madrid City Council for her longtime activism on behalf of gay and lesbian rights, has been named as the ministry’s new General Director of Sexual Diversity and LGTBI.
Beatriz Gimeno, ex-FELGTB president from 2003-2007 will take over directorship of the Institudo de la Mujer (“Institute for Women”). More recently and until her appointment yesterday, Gimeno served as a deputy in the Madrid regional Assembly, holding responsibility for Equality issues for Podemos in the Madrid region.
► News Sources: El Diario, 20minutos and InfoLibre …
The ministry’s newly created General Directorate of Sexual Diversity and LGTBI will be charged with addressing issues that include discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and will direct the ministry’s efforts in the defense of sexual identity, equality and diversity and the fight against hate crimes directed at individuals in Spain’s LGBT communities.
The two new appointees are expected to be key players in the push by Spain’s new PSOE-Unidas Podemos coalition government to move forward with proposed policy changes outlined in their joint program for a progressive government and to move along stalled legislation designed to promote diversity and equality in Spanish society.
Among the latter is the unblocking of a proposed nationwide LGBT law to afford equal rights and protection to LGBT people across all of Spain’s 17 autonomous regional communities. National legislation dealing with transgender issues that has also been registered with Congress, but not yet begun the process of moving through committees, will also reportedly be a top priority for the new Equality ministry.
► Click to read more news about …
Check out more news from Spain about:
► Animal Welfare ► Corruption/Transparency ► Discrimination ► Education ► Elections ► Environment & Sustainability ► Fair Trade & Development Aid ► Healthcare ► Historical Memory ► Housing & Homelessness ► Human Rights ► Labour & Unemployment ► LGBT+ ► Peace & War ► Politics ► Poverty ► Refugees & Migration ► Technology & Social Enterprise ► Women’s Rights
All images at ProgressiveSpain.com are the copyright of their respective authors/owners and are reproduced here for non-commercial, journalistic purposes in accordance with Fair Use doctrine. All other content is Copyright © 2015-2020 ProgressiveSpain.com and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.