Author: Leah Pattem, Photos: Flor Ordoqui
You always hope that the protest you’re attending will be the last. In the case of LGBTQI people, and specifically trans people, the end is no longer a distant light at the end of a very long tunnel of frustration, hate and fascism.

Today, brand-new Ley Trans (Trans Law) will be approved!
- The new law will prohibit conversion therapy in all forms.
- Trans people will no longer be considered ill.
- People will now be able to self-determine their sex – from the age of 14 – and without having to undergo two years of hormone therapy, provide medical documents or witness statements.
- Parents and partners of trans people will also be able to change their own documents to reflect the sex of their child or partner.
- Lesbian, bisexual and queer women will also finally be granted access to reproductive assistance on the public health system.
- Intersex: Genital modification of new-borns will be prohibited, except for purely medical reasons. Parents will be given the option to leave the box in the registry that mentions sex blank for one year.
- Violence and LGTBphobia will also be addressed with protection and reparation measures for victims, and there will be fines of up to €10,000.

This may be a revolutionary day for trans and LGBTQI people in Spain, but Ley Trans is just the institutional part of the freedoms that are required for an equal country which, arguably, could still go a lot further.
Society must catch up: there are still daily hate crimes, workplace discrimination, societal pressure, LGBTQIA+ appropriation and fascist dialogue. Trans children still need more rights and support.




As well as raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and fight as and alongside this community, let’s commit ourselves to changing the daily discourse. From now on, when writing in Spanish, this page will use gender-neutral terms for all people which will take the letter ‘e’ instead of ‘o’, ‘a’ or ‘x’, for example, abueles.
INFO
- Learn more by following @orgullocriticomadrid
- Use hashtag #leytransya
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