After the first morning working we joined Apoyo Positivo in Torremolinos. This association was born in1993 to defend the rights of the people afected by the HIV virus and to help them being integrated into the society.
Since then, they have evolved as an GNO focused on three main areas: health, education and civil rights. Their commitment and willingness to help is amazing. Not only they helped our schools to elaborate our Must and Never Code for good practices, they also showed us their work in
Torremolinos and guided us through
Pasaje Begoña and
La Nogalera, the most popular lgtbiq areas.
LA NOGALERA.
La Nogalera is a serie of 6 buildings, gardens, relaxing areas and they are interconnected by corridors.
It was an important architectonic project during the sixties. Back then, the
area underneath these buildings were comercial locals, but now is
the main party area in Torremolinos and its where most of the lgtbq
clubs are placed.
In 2014 Torremolinos did celebrate its first Pride parade. A few hundred
people and a couple coach participated in this first Torremolinos Pride
and it’s has been growing exponentially in the following years. For
example, in 2019, more than 50,000 people attended this event. A dozen
floats pareded through the streets and
associations such as
Apoyo Positivo, toured the streets claiming
Diversity, Equality and Respect in a party full of rainbows and glitter.
We can't forget that 2019 is a very significant year due to the celebration of the
50th
anniversary of the first protest movement of the LGTBIQ + collective
that took place at Stonewall In in New York on June 28th, 1969 and that gave
rise to the first Pride that took place, a year later, as a reminder of
that rebellion.
The motto chosen for this pride was
"50 years being visible".
Pasaje Begoña
Another important point for lgtbiq community was Pasaje Begoña.
In the 60s, during the Franco dictatorship, repression was happening on a
daily basis, and LGTBIQ+ people were persecuted by law as in almost all
countries.
But Torremolinos, a small fishing village at that time, began to arise
in international tourism, not only for the hotels in Costa del Sol and
its fantastic weather, but for a place that began to gain international
recognition as a point of tolerance, respect and sexual freedom in
southern Spain.
The Begoña Passage was the epicenter of this phenomenon; In its annexed
areas, more than 50 music and dance venues were installed where everyone
was welcome regardless of their sexual condition, although their
majority public belonged to the LGTBIQ + community.
From 1962 to 1971 The Passage Begoña lived its golden decade.
Bars such as The Blue Note, Gogó bar, La sirena, La Boquilla, Tony`s
Bar, (First gay bar in the country.) Catapulted Torremolinos as an
international gay destination par excellence.
Foreigners, celebrities, intellectuals, bohemians and artists were
attracted by the good weather, the sea and respect for the diversity
that was Torremolinos. In this streets public figures, like Grace Jones,
John Lennon and the Beatles Manager, were usually seen having fun
and socializing.
In the late 60s and early 70s, the Franco regime hardened its policy
against homosexuality and periodic raids were carried out against the
LTBIQ + collective throughout the country.
On June 24, 1971, a large police raid ended with more than 300 people
identified and 114 people arrested for the only crime of “violating
public morals and good habits” under the Danger and Social
Rehabilitation Law
. Some of the people arrested that night were jailed
and foreigners were deported.
Many of the clubs were closed
forever. Even the name of the alley was changed so there was no trace of
what was the Begoña Passage. After 40 years closed, five new stores have opened in the Begoña Passage
in tribute to those clubs with the intention of energizing the site
with exhibitions, concerts and cultural activities.
The Begoña Passage has been declared as a place of historical memory and
cradle of LGTBIQ+ rights by the Congress of Deputies in Spain; In
addition, in 2019, on the occasion of the World Pride week in New York
and the 50th anniversary of the StoneWall riots, an event was held at
the Cervantes Institute in New York where the Stonewall Inn bar bonded
The Begoña passage, both epicenters of respect and tolerance and cradle
of LGTBIQ+ rights in their respective countries, with the aim that these
historical moments do not fall into oblivion.
Since that time it has rained a lot and Torremolinos has been steadily
recovering its title of diverse and respectful place where everyone is
welcome regardless of their origin or sexual identity. Torremolinos is
once again a place of tourist interest for the LGTBIQ + community and
has become one of the international vacation reference destinations
within the community.
We are aware of the need to demand and fight for the LGTBIQ+ community
rights, not only on the streets but in the school too, so our students can feel safe and confortable being whoever thay want to. Besides, if they grow been respected and learning to respect each other we will surely have respectful adults in the future, which is the basis for a democratic society
