Albares urges Embassies and Permanent Representations to promote LGBTI rights

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has instructed "all Spanish Embassies and Permanent Representations" to support "the promotion and defense of LGBTI rights." "On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, which is celebrated on May 17, this representation must join all local, European, and other resident embassies' initiatives and proposals for the promotion and defense of LGBTI rights," Albares ordered in a telegram addressed to "all Embassies and Permanent Representations," according to diplomatic sources informed The Diplomat. "The fight against all forms of discrimination is one of the priorities of our foreign action," the text continues. “The promotion of diversity and equality contributes to more open, tolerant, and inclusive societies,” the telegram adds, urging Embassies and Permanent Representations to “coordinate with the competent sub-directorates and directorates general and report on the initiatives they have been invited to join.” Albares’ telegram includes “the institutional declaration approved by the Council of Ministers on May 13, also at the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union, and Cooperation.” The aforementioned institutional declaration indicates that “Spain is a benchmark country in terms of LGBTI+ rights, and various studies and surveys point to us as one of the countries with the greatest social acceptance of sexual, gender, and family diversity.” “An IPSOS survey conducted in 2021 showed that Spain was the country with the highest percentage of the population (80%) that agreed that same-sex couples should have the same adoption rights as heterosexual couples,” the statement continues. “Despite this, and although according to 2024 data from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), more than half of Spanish LGBTI+ people consider the government's response to combat LGBTIphobia to be effective, two out of three also believe that prejudice and intolerance toward the group have increased in recent years, and three out of four perceive that violence toward their group has increased,” he warns. “Indeed, we are witnessing an increase in narratives and discourse that violate the rights of LGBTI+ people, which are easily disseminated on the internet and social media,” the statement continues, warning that “anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech grew 130% in Spain between 2019 and 2022, primarily targeting trans people,” and that “three out of four LGBTI+ people in Spain have seen, in the previous year alone, some form of incitement to violence against their community online, as well as content that caricatures LGBTI+ people.” “According to the most recent data from the Ministry of the Interior's National Office for Combating Hate Crimes, LGBTIphobia continues to be the second most common reason for hate crimes in 2023, registering a 13.73% increase in one year,” the statement continues. “In the face of these setbacks, the Spanish Government reaffirms its commitment to real and effective equality for LGBTI+ people, both within the country and beyond our borders,” a commitment that “has been materialized with the development and approval of regulations that provide tools for achieving this,” it states. “This year, the Spanish Government once again demonstrates its firm commitment to defending the rights of LGBTI+ people, both nationally and internationally, and is committed to adopting the necessary measures to continue making progress in eradicating the discrimination and violence that LGBTI+ people continue to suffer in different areas of their lives,” it concludes.

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