Three out of four Spaniards have witnessed insults or aggressions against LGTBI people, according to the CIS

The Center for Sociological Research (CIS) has put figures to a reality that Pride brings back to the streets these days. 75% of the population claims to have witnessed insults, mockery, threats, blows, pushes, or situations of isolation against LGTBI people. The data is part of the organization's first study on sexual diversity, conducted with more than 5,000 interviews between June 11 and 18.

The survey paints a picture of Spain that largely supports advances in rights, but where discrimination continues to appear in everyday environments. 35.3% believe that a homosexual person cannot speak naturally about their sexual orientation at work, 30.1% think the same about study centers, and 20.4% even extend this to the family sphere. In the case of trans people, the perception worsens. Almost half of those surveyed believe that they cannot share it naturally in their workplace.

The CIS also asks about situations of isolation. 36.6% claim to have seen someone stopped from being spoken to or ostracized for belonging to the collective. Discrimination thus appears less as an exception than as a recognizable experience for a large part of the citizenry. It does not always take the form of physical aggression. Sometimes it appears in insults, mockery, the silence of the environment, or the need to measure every word before talking about one's own life.

The most favorable part of the study is in social support. 71.6% of the population believes that recognizing rights for LGTBI people benefits society as a whole, and almost eight out of ten positively or very positively value the celebration of Pride. There is also a majority identification of the rainbow flag as a symbol of inclusion, although the debate divides again when its presence reaches public buildings or institutions.

The law against conversion therapies arrives on the same day

The CIS data is released on the same day that the Congress of Deputies has approved the reform of the Penal Code to punish so-called LGTBI conversion therapies with prison sentences of six months to two years. The initiative has gone ahead with 178 votes in favor, the rejection of the 'homophobic' far-right Vox and the abstention of the Popular Party.

Spain has advanced in rights and maintains broad social support for equality, but the CIS itself shows that many LGTBI people still encounter barriers to talking about their orientation or identity at work, in the classroom, or at home. Pride arrives with celebration, but also with an uncomfortable snapshot of what still happens far from the grand slogans.