Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales

The Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (FELGTB; English: National Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals) is one of the principal LGBT organisations in Spain. From 1997 until 2003 it was led by Pedro Zerolo, and from 2003 until 2007 (the period in which same-sex marriage was passed in Spain) by Beatriz Gimeno. Currently Antoni Poveda is the president. FELGTB is characterised by demanding LGBT rights, at times through controversial campaigns.

History

In 1992 the "Federación Estatal de Gays y Lesbianas" (FELG) was founded, as a proposal of COGAM and other LGBT organisations in Madrid following their separation from the historic organisation "Coordinadora de Frentes de Liberación Homosexual del Estado Español" (COFLHEE).cite web |title = Historia de la FELGT| publisher = FELGT| date = | url = http://www.felgt.org/info-basica/historia | accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon]

At the time, they were annexing some groups from different parts of Spain, such as Grenada 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) were added in an attempt at unity to pass a Couples' law. In actuality, more than 30 associations of all types compose the FELGT.cite web |title = Qué es la FELGT| publisher = FELGT| date = | url = http://www.felgt.org/info-basica/que-es-la-felgt| accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon]

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. [cite news| last = De B. | first = E.| title = "En política vende ser gay; ser lesbiana, no" | publisher = El País| date = 2007-05-08| url = http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/politica/vende/ser/gay/ser/lesbiana/elpepusoc/20070508elpepisoc_13/Tes| accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] In the same meeting it was decided to add the "B" for bisexual to the acronym. [cite web | author = | year = 2004 | url = http://www.heterodoxia.net/?q=node/379 | title = Conclusiones del reciente congreso de la FELGTB | format = | work = Heterodoxia. Red de hombres profeministas. | accessdate = 2007-07-06 | accessyear = 2007 es icon]

Activism, campaigns, and polemics

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") [cite news| last = COGAM | first = Colectivo de Lesbianas, Gays, Transex y Bisex de Madrid| title = 'Campaña Voto Rosa 2008' de la Federación LGTB de España y la Federació d'Associacions Coordinadora Gai-Lesbiana | url = http://www.cogam.es/secciones/vota-rosa-2008 | accessdate = 2008-01-23 es icon] 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" [cite news| last = Pastor | first = Enric| title = 'Voto rosa' tirando a rojo | publisher = El Mundo| date = 2003-05-09| url = http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2003/05/09/espana/1391440.html | accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] . 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"cite news| last = Cuellar| first = Manuel| title = La Federación Estatal de Lesbianas y Gays pide a los ciudadanos que no voten al PP | publisher = El País| date = 2003-04-17| url = http://www.elpais.com/articulo/madrid/Federacion/Estatal/Lesbianas/Gays/pide/ciudadanos/voten/PP/elpepuespmad/20030417elpmad_10/Tes | accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] . 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 pathologycite news| last = J. P-B.| first = M.| title = El colectivo homosexual lanza un ataque contra la Iglesia, organizaciones familiares y el PP| publisher = ABC| date = 2006-07-01| url = http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-01-07-2006/abc/Sociedad/el-colectivo-homosexual-lanza-un-ataque-contra-la-iglesia-organizaciones-familiares-y-el-pp_1422258538818.html| accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] . 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. [cite web |title = El Ministerio de Trabajo subvenciona un congreso de gays «en contraposición» a la visita del Papa | publisher = Iglesia Navarra, La Razón| date = 2006-05-31 | url = http://www.iglesianavarra.org/Hemeroteca/20060531.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] [cite web |title = El Gobierno subvenciona una fiesta gay junto a la Catedral de Valencia días antes de la visita del Papa | publisher = Periodista digital| date = 2006-06-09 | url = http://www.periodistadigital.com/religion/object.php?o=381161 | accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] [cite news| last = J. P-B.| first = M.| title = El colectivo homosexual lanza un ataque contra la Iglesia, organizaciones familiares y el PP| publisher = ABC| date = 2006-07-01| url = http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-01-07-2006/abc/Sociedad/el-colectivo-homosexual-lanza-un-ataque-contra-la-iglesia-organizaciones-familiares-y-el-pp_1422258538818.html| accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon] Some of those organisations tried to take the FELGT to the attorney general for "the continuous offenses of gay activism". [cite web |title = HazteOir.org prepara una denuncia ante el Fiscal General del Estado "contra las continuas ofensivas del activismo gay"| publisher = La Flecha, Europa Press| date = 2006-07-07| url = http://www.laflecha.net/canales/blackhats/noticias/200607072 | accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon]

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. [cite web |title = FELGT considera incoherentes las declaraciones de Rajoy sobre las bodas homosexuales| publisher = Canarias 7.es| date = 2007-04-20| url = http://www.canarias7.es/articulo.cfm?Id=52867| accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon]

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. [cite web |title = FELGT inicia su campaña “ni un céntimo para quien te discrimina” coincidiendo con la declaración de la renta| publisher = FELGT| date = 2007-04-28| url = http://www.felgt.org/noticias-genericas/i/13504/48/felgt-inicia-su-campana-ni-un-centimo-para-quien-te-discrimina-coincidiendo-con-la?smid=45| accessdate = 2007-06-21 es icon]

References

External links

* [http://www.felgt.org/ FELGTB official site] es icon