Sarah Santaolalla, blunt in 'Malas Lenguas' after the homophobic aggression against five minors in Alicante: "We must make it fashionable again to be ashamed"

The homophobic aggression suffered by five minors aged 14 during the Benialí festivities, in La Vall de Gallinera (Alicante), has caused a wave of rejection and has once again put the spotlight on violence against LGTBI people. The minors were allegedly accosted by three young people aged between 16 and 17, who presumably mocked their sexual orientation. One of the girls suffered a black eye after being punched, in addition to several injuries to a leg. The Civil Guard continues to investigate the events.

The case was addressed in Malas Lenguas by Sarah Santaolalla, who strongly condemned the aggression and called for a social response to this type of behavior. “I believe we must make it fashionable again to be ashamed of being a shitty fascist,” she stated. The collaborator argued that the minors need to feel supported after an experience that, she warned, can leave them with a feeling of fear to show themselves freely and live their sexual orientation.

Santaolalla demanded that the response involve condemning the aggression, investigating what happened to the fullest extent, and protecting the minors. “These 14-year-old girls who have been assaulted, who have been violated, who have been harassed, are going to spend the rest of their days with fear in their bodies for feeling, for desiring, and for loving whoever they want,” she maintained. In her opinion, the social environment must ensure that they can continue to live freely and without fear of suffering new aggressions.

Asked whether homophobia is becoming normalized among minors, Santaolalla responded affirmatively and placed part of the responsibility on the public exposure of certain discourses. The collaborator criticized that from the media, institutions, and certain political sectors, messages against LGTBI people can be reproduced or trivialized. “When we see a politician or a pundit call someone a faggot with such lightness, then there is a kid in that house watching how hateful behaviors are being normalized on television,” she stated.

In his speech, Santaolalla linked this normalization with the risk that certain discourses end up being transferred to the streets. In his opinion, the whitewashing of extremist positions and the legitimization of hate messages contribute to creating a context in which aggressions like the one suffered by the minors can be repeated. “Today they are 14-year-old girls. Tomorrow they could be the daughters of some of our viewers,” he warned, demanding a social response that prevents fear from once again conditioning people's freedom to publicly show whom they love.