We are family (or not): Social and legal recognition of same-sex relationships and lesbian and gay families in Spain

Abstract

Spain has experienced a radical change in terms of recognition of same-sex couples and non-heterosexual families. Officially a Catholic country during a 40-year dictatorial regime, the consolidation of democracy created a favourable context for the legalization of same-sex marriage and the recognition of lesbian and gay families. In this article, the Spanish case is examined against existing literature on queer kinship revealing important peculiarities. The available data on people's use of this new legal possibility and their reasons for marrying or not are also analysed. This article argues that these social changes bring about new challenges, since they shed light onto different forms of discrimination and homophobic prejudice, still present at the different levels of society, public policies and the legal system.

Knowledge and Perception of Trainee Teachers towards the LGBTQ + Community

“…Nevertheless, P4, P5 and P6 stated that they were not aware of the LGBTQ+ community, or at least the characteristics and type of some of its members, which denotes the lack of visibility of this community (Pichardo, 2011).…”

Teaching Undergraduates About LGBTQ Identities, Families, and Intersectionality

“…In addition to adding content on LGBTQ issues and families, instructors may need to consider carefully the kinds of visuals, contexts, questions, and frameworks employed in their courses. Thus, we also offer the following general suggestions to instructors who wish to effectively incorporate an intersectional lens to teaching about LGBTQ families, and so move beyond the default position of positioning families from only a heteronormative lens: Visuals : Use pictures (e.g., PowerPoint) and video clips of diverse LGBTQ individuals and families—not just young, able‐bodied, attractive, economically privileged White same‐sex couples with White babies. International contexts : Address, when relevant, how discussions of LGBTQ families reflect the U.S. context, and include examples of how the processes or phenomena at hand, such as same‐sex marriage and parental rights, might be different in other cultural and geographic contexts (e.g., Lubbe, , on South Africa; Pichardo, , on Spain). Intersectionality‐focused questions : Pose questions that prompt students to consider the intersections of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, social class, and other social locations in the context of heteronormative societal power structures. For example, ask students to consider how biological parenthood in biracial same‐sex couples might intersect with areas of minority stress and resilience.…”

L’expérience juridique de l’action collective et l’espace public médiatique

“…L'histoire des actions de l'association FLG permet de voir la genèse d'une mobilisation collective à un moment et dans contexte précis. C'est au début des années 2000, dans le contexte espagnol, et après un long chemin vers la reconnaissance des couples homosexuels (Calvo, 2010a;Paternotte, 2011), qu'émerge une forte mobilisation pour la reconnaissance des familles homosexuelles (Pichardo, 2011 …”