SIX magazine unites Andalusian LGBT+ community around equal marriage rights and Pride in Torremolinos

SUR has published the seventh edition of SIX - the newspaper's publication focusing on the LGBT+ community. The launch of the new magazine was the biggest in its history, with almost 300 people at the event at Hotel Meliá Costa del Sol in Torremolinos.

Also for the first time in the history of SIX, Spain's minister of equality Ana Redondo attended the launch and, together with the other guests, celebrated the 20th anniversiry of the approval of same-sex marriage. The subbject of equal marriage rights is explored in several articles of this year's edition of SIX. "It is a law that has allowed us to be free," said Redondo, highlighting that Spain was the first country to allow both same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples at the same time.

Moderator of the event Iván Gelibter, who is also SIX's editor-in-chief, kicked off the interviews with the minister. Redondo recalled the "intense debate" within the left-wing party PSOE on equal marriage. "There was an old prejudice that stopped people understanding. They would say 'yes' to equality, but 'no' to marriage," she said. In the same train of thought, Redondo remembered a conversation she had with former PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, in which he said that "if it wasn't fully equal, it was useless".

During her speech, she aligned the 50th anniversary of the end of Franco's dictatorship with the anniversary of "a free Spain". "In 1971, the great raid took place, and today we are celebrating freedom in that very same place," she said in relation to Torremolinos and Pasaje Begoña, where a number of people were arrested in a raid, which she referred to as a "world symbol of freedom".

Redondo used the platform to condemn hate crimes and called for more "specific training" for judges dealing with these cases. However, she stated that, compared to other countries, Spain is a "reference in equality". One example is the government's support of Torremolinos' candidacy for Europride 2027. Redondo said that the Costa del Sol town will collaborate with Melilla to host this European LGBT+ event in the future. "I think it is essential that we go hand in hand. The conquest of major milestones cannot be achieved by a single administration," she concluded.

Before Redondo's speech, editor of SUR Manolo Castillo, welcomed the audience and paid tribute to one of the driving forces behind the magazine: Fran Ruano. "He was an activist in this cause, always maintaining the ethical values of journalism and his own personal values," he said. Castillo celebrated SUR's commitment to "a cause and values that are embedded in this magazine".

The cover of this seventh edition of SIX features David Márquez and Jon Switters, along with their son Adam - two men who were able to marry and adopt thanks to the Spanish law. Márquez said that, although it is important to raise Spain as an example, it is also crucial to turn the spotlight to places of discrimination, aware of the different realities that numerous members of the LGBT+ community live.

Switters, who is of British origin, said that his family and friends thought of his wedding as a "travesty". The couple married in 2012. In the UK, gay people were not legally allowed to marry until 2013. "I have two lesbian sisters who couldn't get married," he said.

The couple acknowledged that they have not felt discrimination as a same-sex couple, except for "small nuances". Márquez chimed in and told an anecdote, which took place while he was taking his son to school. The school's caretaker, who the couple has known for years, asked how his 'wife' was "coping with the pregnancy", knowing that they were undergoing a new adoption process.

Márquez and Switters said that the adoption process is "slow", but acknowledged that they have not been discriminated as parents in Andalucía. "We know people who have suffered it in Madrid and Valencia," they said. "This front page is not always the reality," they added, referring to the hate crimes that other couples suffer.

The other main topic of the new edition is the tenth anniversary of the Pride parade in Torremolinos. For this part of the presentation, PSOE councillor Aída Blanes, who inaugurated Pride in the town, and Francisco García Macías from the right-wing party PP, who continued the tradition, took the stage despite their political differences. They were joined by this year's Pride presenters Estupenda Márquez and Iván Gelibter. Blanes congratulated their efforts, recognising that they had "marked a milestone in the history of the municipality" with the march's first edition.

García Macías said that, when his time in office came, he consulted with Blanes, because he wanted to keep the event alive. "I called her and asked her how to do it. I think it's the best way - taking into account what has been done before. And make it bigger," he said.

The last to be interviewed were mayor of Torremolinos Margarita del Cid, David García Núñez, director of communications at FCC Construcción, and José Repiso, deputy regional minister for equality at the Andalusian regional government. Repiso recognised the importance of spaces that have been classified as LGBT-phobia-free. "This granted recognition makes the place timeless in the safety it provides," he said.

Núñez García highlighted the importance of the support of public administrations in achieving equality in companies. He also urged corporations to help SMEs (small- and medium-size businesses) to progress in this aspect.

The event concluded with Del Cid commemorating the success of Torremolinos Pride. "It is ten years of hard work, of many people who have worked for the benefit of the community, the town... It is a celebration that we have to proudly maintain, as we always do."