"More than twenty years ago, two men decided to defy time, the law and fear. They didn’t do it for protagonism or for making history, they did it for love, for dignity, for justice. And they did it for everyone and everyone." With these words, the delegate of the Government of Spain in Cantabria, Eugenia Gómez de Diego, presided on Thursday the commemorative act of the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Law of Equal Marriage, held at the headquarters of the Delegation in Santander.
Gómez de Diego recalled, visibly excited, that it was herself who officiated in 2005 the first wedding between two men in Cantabria - that of Ángel García and Manuel Aparicio - when she was practicing as a councilor of the PSOE in the City of Santander. "Thank you, Angel, for that courage. For fighting like a beast for love. Your love, that of Manuel and yours, was yours, but you gave it to all of us," he said before handing him a bouquet of flowers in recognition of his commitment.
During her speech, the delegate claimed the transformative value of the useful policy and, in particular, of that law: “Marriage equality not only recognized rights, it strengthened our democracy. We talk about families, about protection, about real equality."
He has also called for the memory and active defense of LGBTI+ rights, remembering that "there were many people who lived their love in silence, who were humiliated, locked up or assaulted because they were who they were." "Today we celebrate for them too. Because freedom is not a destiny, it is a daily commitment. And memory is democracy," I said.
Unfortunately, Gómez de Diego has denounced that today, just as then, there are "minorities who shout their fear of change" and who try to "erase the progress made". However, it reaffirmed the central Government ' s commitment to continue to expand rights and cited some approved initiatives on equality. "With Pedro Sánchez we restored the right to assisted reproduction for all women, we approved the Zerolo Law against discrimination, the Trans Law, and we launched the number 028, the Rainbow phone. Every step has been a conquest of freedom," I said.
“Freedom is not a cane. Freedom is about giving the cane to expanding rights, respecting diversity and fighting for equal opportunities. Spain 20 years ago opened the door to a historic change of which the vast majority of Spanish society is proud. We will continue to work so that the doors, windows and cabinets remain open," he said.
The delegate ended with a direct message "to those who once told you that you were not enough: this country embraces you, recognizes you and celebrates you. It doesn’t go backwards here. You live here with pride. Pride of country and pride of its people."
"Love without fear"
With deep emotion, Angel recalled, through the reading of a friend, the day when he and her husband, Manuel, gave themselves the "yes, I want" in the first marriage between two men held in Cantabria. "It was not just a wedding, it was a collective victory, an act of love, courage and affirmation," he said. That September 23, 2005, just a few months after the entry into force of Law 13/2005, marked a before and an after in the lives of many people. "I remember the flowers, the smiles, the tears… and the certainty that what we were doing was just and necessary."
During his speech, he had a memory full of tenderness for Manuel, physically absent but very present in the act: "His laughter, his way of looking, his love…are still here. Because the truly revolutionary thing is to love without fear." He has also recognized the involvement of those who, from the institutions, supported the conquest of rights, in particular, he has dedicated a few words to Eugenia Gómez de Diego when he felt at that time "very accompanied".
"The Best of Times"
The event was also attended by Regino Mateo, a historical member of ALEGA and a leader of LGTBI+ activism in Cantabria, who evoked the social and political context surrounding the adoption of the Equal Marriage Act in 2005, using Dickens’ words to frame that moment as “the best of times, and the worst of times.” He has recalled years of contempt, invisibility and hate speech, but he has also underlined the collective hope that drove the LGBTI movement out of the closet – literally and symbolically – to reclaim its place in society and in law. "We got to the task, in all the territories, also in Cantabria, and we did it with the same enthusiasm and the same risks as anywhere else," he said.
Mateo stressed that the conquest of that right was possible thanks to the commitment of people, collectives and institutions that were able to stand up, demand and educate. "The crumbs were not enough for us, we also wanted to break the cabinets of the Civil Code," he said. With emotion, he recalled the moment when the law was approved in Congress, “when we cried like never before”, and celebrated that Cantabria was also part of that historic victory. "It was the best of times, because Manuel and Angel were able to get married, and they were neither the only ones nor the last," he concluded, amid applause from the audience.
The president of ALEGA, Víctor Pérez, also spoke, praising that the approval of the Law "was not a gift, but the fruit of the collective struggle, of the work of associations and activists, who decided to show their faces when it was safer to hide", while urging "to look to the future, because conquests are not inherited, they defend themselves". "What was achieved with struggle and organization is only sustained by commitment, activism and political vision," he said.
The event brought together institutional representatives, social associations, activists and citizens in a day of homage, memory and demand, in which Cantabria has once again said “yes” to equality, freedom and love.
Before starting, the attendees observed a minute of silence in a sign of rejection of male violence, which has already claimed the lives of 22 women so far this year, seven of them in recent days.