06/20/2005
"The Gays" Get Massive Attention in Spain
Led by a group of Spanish bishops, hundreds of thousands marched on Saturday to protest the Spanish government's legalization of gay marriages.
Holding signs that read "Family = Man and Woman" the marchers were part of the largest anti-government activist protest held by the Catholic church in more than 20 years. Finally, a protest to which Fox News felt they could give some attention.
The same-sex marriage bill was compared to the beginnings of Nazi Germany in the 30's by Fr. Jose Ramon Velasco:
"Back then the majority of people also backed Hitler just like the majority back this law," he told ABC News. "I'm serious. Give it time and it will destroy the moral fiber of Spain and the West."
He's serious!
In response, "the gays" held their own protest. Despite the bishops' efforts, opinion polls show that a majority of Spaniards approve the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Finally, a study in contrasts...
Let's take a poll. Babies, by whom would you rather be raised? The gender-ambiguous hater on the left sure to teach you the ways of intolerance or the loving couple on the right?
Baby: "Goo goo ga ga."
I thought so.
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 9:00 AM EST by Andy in Current Affairs | Permalink
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The crowd estimates were interesting. 1.5 million by the organizers...200,000 by the Madrid police. In addition I read that there where people from 60 countries, so was it really a total Spanish protest. The US hate groups where also involved. The Boston Globe quoted a speaker from an Arizona group. To bad they couldn't get Fred Phelps to go, eh?
Posted by: Michael | Jun 20, 2005 9:46:34 AM
Hello, I'm here from a link of link of a link... You know how it works.
I don't want a huge fuss but I'm must confess that I'm slightly bewildered by your article. It is true that Spain is a catholic country but to be frank there is absolutely no hatred (well, no more than any country in Europe) towards gays. It is true that PEOPLE are against adoption for gays but in no way are they against marriage between gay people. That is the reason the banners are about "mama+papa". This is about adoption ! not against gay marriage (because even people in the march aren't against it) or gay people ! No that I think it better but it's certainly not "a convergence of hate".
Now that I see how an evenement can be twisted by distance, I ask myself if all I read about another country can be correct.
Posted by: Sarah | Jun 20, 2005 9:53:28 AM
Okay.. the Catholic priest picture is priceless... hehehehe
Posted by: Darren | Jun 20, 2005 10:17:55 AM
Well in fact even if the motto of the protest was about adoption by gays, is was also filled with the full anti-gay spectrum. The callers of the march are from Hazteoir(dot)org an online forum for rightest of the right ppl. Where they say that we are not persons at all and the manifesto that defendend this protest is full of homophobic lies: Gays spread Aids, are child molesters, vejatory, sick ppl; and so on. So, let me tell you it WAS a march against gay rights, among them the adoption.
Posted by: Soliloco | Jun 20, 2005 10:39:27 AM
so sarah, people protesting against gay adoption, but not gay marriage is less hateful? The gay=child molester sterotype is the most offensive sterotype, and plenty hateful - especially lead by molester-enabling catholics.
Posted by: liberal server | Jun 20, 2005 11:19:39 AM
"That is the reason the banners are about "mama+papa". This is about adoption ! not against gay marriage (because even people in the march aren't against it) or gay people ! No that I think it better but it's certainly not "a convergence of hate"."
This "protest" was not about adoption, it was about ignorant people who don't want the joining of a gay couple to be called a "marriage". But that original protest was also joined by the anti-adoption and anti-gay groups. These "highly religious" people were making a protest on a Sunday!!
Spain is a very homophobic country, it is still ingrained from the days of Franco. Things are changing here, but in a country where the church is dirctly involved in schooling, it is a slow process.
Any "protest" of this kind against any basic human right can only be called "a convergence of hate".
Posted by: Steve | Jun 20, 2005 11:27:37 AM
1)Of corse this is a convergence of hate!
2) And it was a total fiasco! There was free transport from all over Spain, and they got only 166.000 people according to the police. They're goal was 500.000, not even half!!! They took months preparing it, they spent loads and loads of cash. And at same hour Carnaval Carlinhos Brown had 300.000 people (also according to the police) on the streets of Madrid, many of them with rainbow flags! See El Mundo.
3) This Samba Party was organized by a phonne company, but in the last days before it, it was transformed in a gay-friendly event. There were SMS's circulating, and Carlinhos Brown (the brazilian musician) even had lunch with Zapatero on that afternoon! Everybody who went to the Carnaval, knew it was a progressive manif. And without free transportation, without the publicity of the press, only with Madrid's people, they had the double of people on the street!
4) So, the catholic priests are fascists, no question on that, but in Spain they're alone!
5) I just hope this fantastic good vibes soon invade Portugal.. :)
Posted by: Boss | Jun 20, 2005 12:30:50 PM
Okay, it seems that I was somewhat misunderstood. I don't really talk about the right to adopt or to marry for gay people. To be frank, I think those rights must be applied to everybody. But I was surprised by the difference between my national paper and your sources. I can't say who is right or who is wrong but there is a difference in presentation and I don't think you must put all your faith in one source or another.
Yes, I know the clergy in Spain hates gays but to confuse it with all the spaniard is a bit much. People in the demonstration weren't hateful, I don't think there were there for gay bashing but to voice their opinion. That their opinion was disrespectful of the gay community is true but I don't think they wanted to spit on people.
That's what I wanted to talk about. I really don't know who is right or wrong but I know that somewhere in the medias someone twisted what happened there. Because here (this article) we talk about Hate but in my newspapers it was not so harsh.
It doesn't change many things except the fact that spaniard are or are not "gay haters". It's all about shade, really. And a critical mind.
Posted by: Sarah | Jun 20, 2005 2:48:51 PM
Steve, do you know Spain? i think no.
Spain is not a homophobic country
Regards from Spain, your homophobic country, bah!
Posted by: Ararat | Jun 21, 2005 5:17:30 AM
The only reigon of Spain I could think of being remotly gay friendly is Catalonia. Madrid, Seville and every other big city in the country are very homophobic places.
Once the new spanish government goes I way I predict the country will ban gay marriage. Personally I think the 60% support in spain is innacurate, Spain is a very conservative country, hatred of homosexuals is far greater here than anywhere else in wester europe.
Regards from Andalucia.
Posted by: Jay | Feb 23, 2006 2:00:15 PM
uyyyy, I see, many people are jelous that Spain has the most advanced law for homosexuals in the world. They cannot beliver that, jeje.
Jay, I want to tell you that you are absolutely wrong. I am Spaniard. I lived in Spain until I was 25. I am gay and everybody always knew that I am gay: my family, in the school, at University.... I had never any problem. Can most gays from other countries -let us say Italy, USA, Mexico....- say the same? I do not think so.
Posted by: Daniel Hebrero | Jul 16, 2007 7:05:28 PM
I forgot to say, that I have visited the USA and other countries in Western Europe......and I think that Spain is, for sure, much less homofobic than the other european countries.
Posted by: Daniel Hebrero | Jul 16, 2007 7:07:11 PM
For "god sake" xD im spaniard and let me say that the people who came to that concentration were all Opus Dei sects and other extreme groups!.
Marriage between gays in Spain is accepted by more than a 80% (i think), and adoption by 75%. we dont hate anyone!
Posted by: Jaime | Jan 16, 2009 12:49:35 PM
being spaniard and a proud (civilized) world traveller, I have to say Spain is maybe nowadays one of the places where gay people can live without stress and happy, of course specially in bigger towns like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia... Much to my surprise, even in my hometown (small, isolated, 200,000 inhabs. city) the scene is blooming with young people openly showing in public. Of course if we move into smaller cities and the countryside you'll find more conservative ideas but, that happens everywhere!
I invite you citizens of the civilized world to take a ride along Madrid streets (not on the gay pride day, that day of course is not real) and see with your own eyes the nice atmosphere we have here... I only felt like here in NY or Sydney.
Posted by: robert | May 7, 2009 4:35:32 PM