The delegate of the Government of Spain in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, has this Saturday launched an institutional message on the occasion of the International Day of LGTBI Pride, in which she has claimed the fight for the rights of the collective as "a way of being in the world: with freedom, with truth and without fear".
The message has been disseminated through the official social networks of the Government Delegation, whose headquarters, located in the central Paseo de Pereda de Santander, looks adorned with rainbow flags on its balconies to commemorate this day.
In his speech, Gómez de Diego stressed that "Spain has chosen to move forward, not to backtrack; to open doors, not to close them," and warned that "that means not giving ground to those who sow hatred or question rights already won."
The delegate wanted to value the memory of the collective and its constant demand, remembering that "rights are won, but they are also defended". In this regard, he has thanked the "struggle and courage" of LGBTI people, whom he has recognized as the drivers of a "more modern, more egalitarian and more democratic" society.
This year, in addition, two decades of the approval of marriage equality in Spain are commemorated, a "historical milestone" that, according to Gómez de Diego, "made us a better, fairer and freer country, a reference in Europe and an example in the face of retrograde speeches."
"In the face of those who want the ghosts of the past to return, let us defend the values that enlarge us as a society," said the delegate before concluding her message with a congratulation: "Happy Pride Day."
Equal marriage act
This year, Pride Day coincides with the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the approval of the Law that allowed same-sex marriage in Spain, a rule promoted by the Government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, published on July 2, 2005 and whose entry into force took place on the 3rd of the same month. With this, Spain became the third country in the world to legalize this right.
On the occasion of this anniversary, the Government Delegation in Cantabria will celebrate next Thursday, July 3, a commemorative event open to citizens, in which the entry into force of this Law and the full exercise of the rights it guarantees will be honored.