Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales
Encyclopedia
The Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (FELGTB; National Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals) is the main LGBT
organisation in Spain
. FELGTB is characterised by demanding LGBT rights, at times through controversial campaigns. Its current chairman is Antoni Poveda.
In June 2008, the United Nations Economic and Social Council
granted consultative status
to FELGTB and COC Netherlands.
following their separation from the historic organisation Coordinadora de Frentes de Liberación Homosexual del Estado Español (COFLHEE).
In time, some groups from different parts of Spain joined the Federation, such as some from Granada
and Barcelona
, but very slowly. It was the late 1990s when some of the main organisations of the country (Gehitu of the Basque Country
, Alega
of Cantabria
, Gamá of the Canary Islands
and the Colectivo Lambda of Valencia
, among others) joined FELG in an attempt build unity to pressure for the approval of a law recognising common law partnerships. Currently, more than 30 associations of all types compose the FELGT.
Beginning in 2003, the FELGT was led by Beatriz Gimeno. Previously, Pedro Zerolo and Armand de Fluviá had occupied that position. In March 2007, Beatriz Gimeno decided to begin collaborating with the university and Antoni Poveda came to hold the position of president of the FELGT. In the same meeting it was decided to add the "B" for bisexual to the acronym.
2007 the official name became FELGTB, incluying bisexual option in the name.
The FELGTB demands legal equality and social respect for diversity, is a promoter and convener (along with COGAM) of the national demonstration on the International Day of LGBT Pride (June 28), and fosters the training of its member associations' activists.
It has presented several controversial campaigns, such as VOTA ROSA ("VOTE PINK") and 2004 NO VOTES PP ("2004 DON'T VOTE PP
"). Beatriz Gimeno justified this last slogan by pointing out the necessity of a political change to "advance our demands". Esperanza Aguirre
, in response to this campaign, stated that sexual orientation
doesn't necessarily determine political orientation, and noted that she was convinced that "the majority of gays are going to vote for Esperanza, and are going to vote PP". Ana Botella
, number two on the list of the PP in Madrid, limited herself to saying that the demands of the FELGT don't come within the rivalries of the town council.
During the negotiation of the same-sex marriage law in Spain, the FELGT criticized the performance of the PP at various times, especially for presenting as an expert the psychiatrist
Aquilino Polaino, who claimed that homosexuality
was a pathology
. Parallelly, when the Pope
visited Valencia, the FELGT participated in the Jornadas Internacionales de Diversidad Familiar (International Conference on Family Diversity) (subsidized by the Ministry of Work and Social Affairs) and signed up for the collective "Jo no t'espere" ("I don't wait for you"), which was criticized harshly by the Catholic media
. Some of those organisations tried to take the FELGT to the attorney general
for "the continuous offenses of gay activism".
On April 20, 2007, the FELGT described as "incoherent" Mariano Rajoy
's declarations about gay weddings, since he was claiming that if his son marries a man he will attend his wedding, while his party has appealed the same-sex marriage law as unconstitutional.
On April 28, 2007, FELGT launched the campaign Ni un céntimo para quien te discrimina ("Not one cent for anyone who discriminates against you"), coinciding with the income tax
filings, encouraging citizens to mark the "social purposes" box instead of the box designated for the Catholic Church.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
organisation in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. FELGTB is characterised by demanding LGBT rights, at times through controversial campaigns. Its current chairman is Antoni Poveda.
In June 2008, the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
granted consultative status
Consultative Status
Consultative Status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council." Also some international organizations could...
to FELGTB and COC Netherlands.
History
In 1992 the National Federation of Gays and Lesbians (FELG; ) was founded, at the proposal of the Collective of Gays and Lesbienas of Madrid (COGAM) and other LGBT organisations based in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
following their separation from the historic organisation Coordinadora de Frentes de Liberación Homosexual del Estado Español (COFLHEE).
In time, some groups from different parts of Spain joined the Federation, such as some from Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, but very slowly. It was the late 1990s when some of the main organisations of the country (Gehitu of the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Alega
Alega
Alega is a village on the southeast coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. One of the island's least populous villages, it is located to the east of Pago Pago Harbor and to the west of Faga'itua Bay....
of Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
, Gamá of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and the Colectivo Lambda of Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, among others) joined FELG in an attempt build unity to pressure for the approval of a law recognising common law partnerships. Currently, more than 30 associations of all types compose the FELGT.
Beginning in 2003, the FELGT was led by Beatriz Gimeno. Previously, Pedro Zerolo and Armand de Fluviá had occupied that position. In March 2007, Beatriz Gimeno decided to begin collaborating with the university and Antoni Poveda came to hold the position of president of the FELGT. In the same meeting it was decided to add the "B" for bisexual to the acronym.
2007 the official name became FELGTB, incluying bisexual option in the name.
Activism, campaigns, and polemics
It has presented several controversial campaigns, such as VOTA ROSA ("VOTE PINK") and 2004 NO VOTES PP ("2004 DON'T VOTE PP
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
"). Beatriz Gimeno justified this last slogan by pointing out the necessity of a political change to "advance our demands". Esperanza Aguirre
Esperanza Aguirre
Esperanza Aguirre y Gil de Biedma, Countess of Murillo, Grandee of Spain, DBE is a Spanish politician and the current President of Madrid...
, in response to this campaign, stated that sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
doesn't necessarily determine political orientation, and noted that she was convinced that "the majority of gays are going to vote for Esperanza, and are going to vote PP". Ana Botella
Ana Botella
Ana Botella Serrano a Spanish politician belonging to the Spanish People's Party.She is on the Madrid city council, where she has served as Environment spokesperson since 2007....
, number two on the list of the PP in Madrid, limited herself to saying that the demands of the FELGT don't come within the rivalries of the town council.
During the negotiation of the same-sex marriage law in Spain, the FELGT criticized the performance of the PP at various times, especially for presenting as an expert the psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Aquilino Polaino, who claimed that homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was a pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
. Parallelly, when the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
visited Valencia, the FELGT participated in the Jornadas Internacionales de Diversidad Familiar (International Conference on Family Diversity) (subsidized by the Ministry of Work and Social Affairs) and signed up for the collective "Jo no t'espere" ("I don't wait for you"), which was criticized harshly by the Catholic media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. Some of those organisations tried to take the FELGT to the attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
for "the continuous offenses of gay activism".
On April 20, 2007, the FELGT described as "incoherent" Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy Brey is a Spanish People's Party politician and is the Prime Minister-elect since 20 November 2011. He will be sworn into office in mid-December 2011....
's declarations about gay weddings, since he was claiming that if his son marries a man he will attend his wedding, while his party has appealed the same-sex marriage law as unconstitutional.
On April 28, 2007, FELGT launched the campaign Ni un céntimo para quien te discrimina ("Not one cent for anyone who discriminates against you"), coinciding with the income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
filings, encouraging citizens to mark the "social purposes" box instead of the box designated for the Catholic Church.