Spain Accused of Transphobia Over Trans Women Sports Ban Proposal
transgender women from competing in female sports, sparking accusations of transphobia.The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, detailed plans to limit participation in female sports to "people with a female biological sex," in a policy document that was decided on at the party's congress over the weekend, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The document also contains a proposal to remove the Q+ from the acronym, LGBTQ+The document has been met with a mixed response, sparking fury from LGBTQ+ activists and some politicians, but drawing support from feminist campaign groups.Newsweek has reached out to the Spanish Government via email for comment.Irene Montero, the former equality minister from the left-wing Podemos party, described the proposal as transphobia and said that: "Transphobia in sport generates transphobic violence."In contrast, Spanish feminist campaign group Contra el Borrado de Mujeres, which translates to "Against the Erasure of Women," have shared a number of posts on their website and social media where they advocate for a sports ban.
In one post they state that: "In order not to be wet paper, the Sport law and the 14 regional laws that allow the participation of men who self-identify as women in women's sports competitions must now be amended."A transgender rights reform bill passed in Spain in 2023 that allowed anyone to change their official sex by stating their intention to do so caused a rift among left-wing politicians.According to Spain's transgender law, children from the age of 12 can change the sex on their state documents.
Up until the age of 16, parental or judicial support is required to do this.In 2024 multiple states across the U.S. enacted laws that could alter the rights of transgender individuals.
