LGBTQIA+ Resources

Despite its reputation as a conservative and religious country, Spain has undergone an incredible social transformation since the end of its dictatorship in 1975. For more information on the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in Spain, we encourage you to read this article.

In 2005, Spain's legal definition of marriage was expanded to include couples of the same sex, making Spain the 4th country in the entire world to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2014, Catalonia passed an anti-homophobia law to protect the LGBTQIA+ community from hate crimes. And in 2023, the national government of Spain passed a new law to allow trans people to change their gender identity in the civil registry without undergoing previous hormonal treatment or obtaining a medical diagnosis.

People from all over the world travel to Spain for Las Fiestas del Orgullo (Spain's Pride event), which is considered to be one of the largest in all of Europe. The major cities like Barcelona and Madrid usually coordinate to ensure that they host their celebrations on different weeks, allowing people to attend both events.

Nevertheless, not unlike the U.S., some Spaniards still hold on to Spain's past of "machismo" (strong masculine pride), heterosexual marriage, traditional gender roles, and steadfast religion. As a result, LGBTQIA+ students may find themselves in environments that don't validate or celebrate their sexuality or identity, particularly in rural parts of Spain. This is why it's so important to understand the historical and social context of the place you're studying abroad in, but also to equip you with the resources you need to thrive as an LGBTQIA+ student abroad.

The U.S. Department of State provides these recommendations when traveling as a member of the LGBTQI+ community. We also encourage you to check out GoAbroad.com’s LGBTQI+ Guide.

Important questions to ask yourself before you study or intern abroad:

• How open will I be about my gender identity with my professors, peers, friends, host family, and others? 

• How will I answer questions about my gender identity or sexuality while I am abroad? Do I want to adapt my answer to fit the local social patterns or political climate? 

• How important is it to me to find other LGBTQIA+ students and friends while abroad? How will I make connections with other LGBTQIA+ students, local residents, or community organizations? How will I make connections with others, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in my host country? What are my expectations about seeking and finding community?

• Are there any specifications I need to make the staff aware of in regards to my program accommodations (such as a single room, private or gender neutral restroom, specific roommates, etc.)? 

• As a transgender student, will I need access to any medications, supplies, or services? Are they available in my host country? If not, will I need any additional documentation to travel with my medication or supplies?

• What pronouns do you use? Will these work in the local language, and if not, how will you ask people to adapt their language?

• Do I intend to date while abroad? If so, what things do I need to keep in mind in order to keep myself safe?

• Pride Barcelona - Beyond being the committee that organizes Barcelona's Pride event each year, they host events and workshops throughout the year to raise awareness and celebrate diversity.

• CRIDA LGBTI - The organizers of the Pride protest, which usually takes place on the Saturday closest to June 28th each year. 

• Casal Lambda - A nonprofit organization that offers resources, events, and a meeting place for the LGBTQIA+ community. One of their main events is their annual film festival, Mostra Fire, which takes place in June. They have a special Grup de Joves (youth group) and a Women's Group as well.

• Panteres Grogues - A Queer athletics organization that hosts all kinds of sports and wellness events for the LGBTQIA+ community.

• Associació del Ram de l'Aigua - A Barcelona based non-profit association that organizes athletic, leisure, social, artistic, and cultural activities to create a network of mutual support for the LGBTQ+ community.

• Ballroom Encounters - A local Instagram community that hosts frequent LGBTQIA+ events.

• Meet Up - A platform to search events and groups by interest. There are many events for the Queer community hosted in the Barcelona area.

• Famílies LGTBI+ - A non-profit that works to promote the normalization and equal rights of LGBTQIA+ families, create a safe and empowering place of support, to inform LGBTQIA+ people who are looking to start a family, and so much more.

• Stop (previously known as Stop Sida) - A community organization of people from the LGBTQIA+ community that promotes sexual freedom and empowerment while developing strategies and resources to reduce the impact of AIDS and STIs.

• BCN Checkpoint - A community screening center offering free tests for HIV and other STIs.

• Calala - A local NGO that fights for the rights of women and the LGBTQIA+ community around the world through resources, support, and providing a space to convene.

• Fundació Enllaç - An organization that supports LGBTQIA+ people that are in situations of vulnerability, whether it be due to health, aging, relocation, discrimination, or otherwise.

• ACATHI - The Catalan Association for the Integration of Homosexual, Bisexual, and Trans Immigrants. It works to protect the rights and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ immigrants and refugees.

• Observatori Contra L´LGBTIfòbia - The Catalan Observatory Against LGBTI-Phobia provides mental health resources, social support, and legal advice to individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community. They conduct frequent studies related to the Queer community in Catalonia.

• The City of Barcelona website also offers lots of insight into the LGBTQIA+ community in Barcelona, events, and more.

  • Barcelona's City Council recently held a public roundtable on how to address LGTBI-phobia, highlighting official resources and support through the city's anti-discrimination board.

Events

• Orgullo - Barcelona's Pride Celebration! It takes place every June/July and offers tons of events, parades, concerts, and so much more.

• Sitges, a town about an hour south of Barcelona, is often considered to be the LGBTQIA+ capital of southern Europe. They have their own Sitges Pride celebration as well as a huge Carnaval event each February.

• June 28th is the Day of Sexual Liberation, and there is usually a parade or event, but it tends to have a much more serious and reflective undertone than Pride.

• The Mostra Fire!! LGBTI Film Festival takes place in June each year.

• Timeout Barcelona has an LGBTQI+ city guide for Barcelona, which features lots of events.

Points of Interest

• La Glorieta de la Transexual Sonia - Located just in front of the fountain in Ciutadella Park, this is one of the first public memorials honoring the life of a trans woman, Sonia Rescalvo Zafra.

• Mural at the MACBA  - A mural by Keith Haring, depicting "Todos juntos podemos parar la Sida" which means "All together we can stop AIDS." You can see more of Keith Haring's works inside the MACBA (Barcelona's Museum of Contemporary Art) itself.

• Gay-Xample neighborhood - A specific area of Barcelona's Eixample neighborhood that is known for having a high concentration of LGBTQIA+ establishments.

• Librería Antinous - A bookstore specializing in LGBTQIA+ literature.

• Acció Perifèrica - An LGBTQIA+ and transfeminist bookstore, located near the Vilapicina metro station.

• Axel Hotel - The world's first "hetero-friendly" hotel, right here in Barcelona! It caters to LGBTQIA+ clientele, and they often throw events on their beautiful rooftop terrace.

• Priscilla Cafe - A restaurant that hosts regular drag shows and events. You may even catch a queen or two from RuPaul's Drag Race España!

• Candy Darling -  A popular Queer bar near the Universitat metro station. It hosts frequent events and exhibits local artists' work at the entrance!

• La Sastrería - A popular Queer bar near the Universitat metro station, known for its drag shows.

• El Cangrejo - A spot in the Raval neighborhood that is known for its drag shows.

Looking to learn some Spanish vocab used among the Queer community in Spain?

Many of the words used are the same in English (for example: queer, gay, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, drag, etc.), but there are some that vary in the Spanish language!

• cisgénero - Cisgender (people who identify with the gender they were given at birth)

• transgénero - Transgender (people who have changed their gender so that their gender is different to the one they were given at birth). You can also just say "trans" in Spanish.

• mujer trans - Transgender woman

• hombre trans - Transgender man

• lesbiana - Lesbian

• no binario - Non-binary (used to describe someone that does not define themselves with any gender in particular).

• género fluido - Gender fluid (used to describe someone that alternates from one gender to another).

• aliado/aliada - Ally (For example, "yo soy un aliado" means "I'm an ally."

• pronombre - Pronoun (the most commonly used pronouns in Spanish are él (he), ella (she), or elle (gender neutral)

• orgullo - Pride (for example, el Mes del Orgullo is Pride Month!)

• ending words with "x" or "e" - In most cases, this is a reflection of the Spanish language slowly adopting more gender-neutral language forms, rather than ending a word with "o" (usually masculine) or "a" (usually feminine). For example, "amigxs" is often used as the gender neutral form of "amigos/amigas" (friends).