Sad day for the Spanish LGTBI community. One of the most important figures in the history of queer activism in our country has died: Silvia Reyes. The woman has died at the age of 75 in Barcelona, ??a city where she had lived for many years.
For many, Reyes was an example of struggle, improvement and dignity. The woman left her homeland, the Canary Islands, and arrived in Barcelona at a time when being, loving and dressing freely were synonymous with repression, persecution and fear.
Silvia Reyes never gave in to the regime and was a visible trans woman during the Franco era. This led him to the dungeon on almost fifty occasions. The woman was accused of dressing inappropriately and she was detained because of her peculiar way of being, her way of walking, etc.
At that time (late 60s, early 70s), there were a series of laws (social danger, then public scandal, etc.) that violently harassed the group, with special attention to trans people. For this reason, Reyes had to go into exile and fled to Paris in 1975.
Many know her for being one of the visible faces of the first LGTBI demonstration in Spain, which was held in Barcelona in 1977. Reyes led the march under the cry of ”Enough now!” and left her voice heard. fighting against police repression.
Since then, Silvia has not stopped attending LGTBI demonstrations and has continued to do activism from a more remote point due to her age. In 2017, Reyes participated in the documentary Crits de Libertad and her testimony was also collected in the book The Double Transition (2019) by Extremaduran journalist Raúl Solís.
Reyes defended that it was always “worth it” to pay such a high price (prison, exile, etc.) to fight for his freedom. His undeniable contribution to the LGTBI reality of our time and his tireless action over the years means that today, the day of his death, hundreds of people (from politicians to activists and anonymous people) mourn his loss on social networks.
”Thank you Silvia, see you always”, ”These are my people. This is my pride. RIP”, ”His struggle and legacy will endure” or ”His spirit and work will continue to guide us in the search for a more just and equal world” are some of the comments that can be read on different Internet pages.
