Spanish women detail abuses suffered in Franco-era institutions

A group of Barcelona activists traveled to DC earlier this month to promote bids for cities hosting WorldPride in 2030.

Pride Barcelona Vice President Maria Guillarto, World Pride Barcelona 2030 Project Manager Andeni Bañez, and Pride Barcelona’s Roger Pressgar announced the city’s bid at the José Andres geared event held at the Spanish Cultural Center in northwestern Washington on June 4th.

Catalonian LGBTI+ public policy general director Alberto La Casta, Barcelona city commissioner Javier Rodriguez, and Barcelona Naturism director Rosavada traveled to DC with activists. Guilralto, Ibañez and Pressgar visited the Washington Blade office on June 6th.

“We were going to convey the spirit of running,” Giralt said.

Giralt noted that it supports bids across Barcelona’s 39 LGBTQ groups and Catalonia. The Catalan government, known as Turespaña, and the Spanish Tourism Institute, are also supporting it.

“Spain and the province have helped us a lot,” Giralt said.

Spanish capital, Madrid hosted WorldPride in 2017. Activists’ trip to DC coincided with WorldPride 2025, which took place in the country’s capital.

Transgender Spanish Senator Cara Antonelli is one of those who participated in the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference. Turespaña also had a booth at the Capital Pride Festival.

Next year’s World Pride will be held in Amsterdam, and Cape Town will host World Pride 2028. Montreal, London and Bangkok are three cities to host WorldPride 2030.

Internationale, the organization that coordinates WorldPride events, will announce its winning bid in 2026.

“It’s a better opportunity than coming to Washington (bid) and connecting with other countries around the world,” Giralt said. “This recognition is very important. I believe that it is very important that all world greats exist, especially at this point when waves, drifts exist towards the extreme right, and that the fight is very important that it is very important that the fight is revealed. Resistance must continue.”

Spain’s first LGBTQ rights March took place in Barcelona on June 26, 1977. This took place less than two years after the death of long-time dictator General Francisco Franco. Spain is currently one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in the world.

“What we’re going to do from Barcelona is to restore a bit of the origins of this struggle,” Guilalt told Blade.

“A historic moment in Washington.”

WorldPride 2025 took place less than five months after the Trump Vance administration took office.

Egale Canada, one of Canada’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations, announced in February that its members will not participate in WorldPride or other US events due to White House policies. Equality Australia issued a travel advisory in April for trans and non-binary people who are planning to visit the United States in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order that only “two genders, male and female” and direct the State Department to allow the issuance of passports with an “X” gender marker.

Phil Opok Gima, co-founder of British Black Pride, known as Mrs. Phil Phil, spoke at the opening plenary of the World Mass 2025 Human Rights Conference, virtually after the US revoked its visa-free entry into the country due to a trip to Cuba earlier this year.

US Customs and Border Protection Website Note On January 12, 2021, the State Department designated Cuba as a national sponsor of terrorism. The CBP website states, “With limited exceptions, travelers who are found to have visited Cuba after this date are not eligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) using the Travel Permit (ESTA) electronic system and must apply for a visa for travel to the United States.”

Ibañes told Blade that he, Giralt and Presgar felt it was important for them to travel to the US for World Pride.

“In Washington, I feel that it was a historic moment to celebrate and fight for our rights in the Trump context,” Ibañez said.

“It was very important that we come here and share and assert our values ​​next to your (White House) and say hey, we’re here.