The LGTBI Pride demonstration in Valencia will be held on June 28 but, for the first time since this march was called, the after-party will not be held in the Town Hall square, as announced this Wednesday by the organizing entities, who have denounced ” interference” from the Generalitat and the City Council, both governed by PP and Vox.
Lambda, Avegal and FELGTBI have stressed that on June 28 they will dispense with the party because it could become “an act of pinkwashing (a whitening or facelift) for governments as has been attempted,” according to the general coordinator of Lambda , Fran Fernández, who stressed that it is an “unprecedented situation in the 37 years of Lambda’s existence.”
According to Fernández, the demonstration will end again in the Town Hall square “in a protest rally, instead of the traditional party” to continue the fight for LGTBI rights, and that night they will “take refuge” in the LGTBI premises, as they have done “historically” when they did not have current social support.
He explained to EFE that although the City Council “forced them to demonstrate” on June 22, because in previous days the City Council had planned activities related to Pride, they proposed doing it on June 15 or 29, but they were told that there were events, “when, through the PSPV – he added -, we have had access to the occupation of the square and that is a lie.”
“The square is free on both the 15th and the 29th. Why force us to the 22nd? Because we have refused to participate in those pseudo-committees where the administration does and undoes as it pleases, but uses the logos of the groups to make it seem like there is collaboration, because they wanted to control our story,” he criticized.
As he has pointed out, both the Generalitat, the Provincial Council and the City Council “have tried to coerce and pressure us, they have publicly insulted us and this is something intolerable, if we do not comply with their way of understanding what Pride should be, which It is nothing more than tourism and rainbows.”
The groups have denounced “threats, coercion, insults and constant rudeness” since the change of government in Valencia, as well as “cuts in rights.”
As they explain, between October and December 2023 the Generalitat launched, with the collaboration of the Provincial Council and the Valencia City Council, an organizing committee “constituted behind the backs of the LGTBI and Trans advisory councils, which were the ones authorized to do so.”
And in the last two months “there have been new actions with the aim of usurping the representation of LGTBI entities and controlling spaces for participation, through the composition of the Gay Games València 2026 Committee or the irregular appointment of a mayor of the PP as representative of the Trans Valencian Council behind the backs of the social entities that make it up.”
Added to this, they claim, are the “significant cuts in rights” in the first quarter of 2024, such as the elimination of LGTBI diversity training for more than 20,000 young people in the province, the censorship of children’s books on family diversity or the cancellation of the City Council’s infosex service.
For his part, Juan Velasco, president of Avegal, the LGTBI business association, has pointed out that “the appropriate circumstances do not exist to be certain of obtaining a satisfactory result”, in which they work “independently”, with their own criterion “and with the full support of LGTBI entities.”
For this reason, after having organized the party in the three previous editions, they have informed Lambda that they do not consider the organization of the party “viable”.
For her part, Paula Iglesias, from the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, Bisexuals, Intersex and more, has transferred her support to Lambda and Avegal, “in difficult times of setbacks, which not only affect our territory, but that extend to others in Spain and also in Europe.”
Faced with these criticisms, the Valencia City Council has shown its “surprise” at the decision of the Lambda collective to celebrate LGTBI Pride on June 28, after pointing out that in a meeting they held “in a cordial tone” it was decided that it would be on June 22. June in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, to make it compatible with the Pride festival dates in other Valencian municipalities.
Municipal sources have assured that the City Council has maintained its collaboration with the Lambda collective and the subsidy of 12,000 euros is included in the municipal budgets, as in previous years.
As recalled, the Councilor for Sports, Equality and Education of the Valencia City Council, Rocío Gil, held a meeting about the celebration of the festival, they proposed three dates to celebrate it and June 22 was decided.
“This was a meeting in a cordial tone in which no disagreement was shown with the proposals discussed,” indicated municipal sources.
