Seven of the nine groups that make up the Insular Board of LGTBIQA+ Diversity –lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or, sometimes, questioning), intersex, asexual and other sexual identities– announce that they will leave this body “if the Cabildo maintains their support for the trans-exclusionary debate at the sports congress” scheduled on the island for next weekend. The Minister of Citizen Participation and Diversity, Nauzet Gugliotta, assures that the 3rd Women and Sports national forum to be held on Friday and Saturday “is more than necessary and only has one presentation related to this matter among a broad program and the presence of high level experts. He also makes it clear that “although I may not agree with the opinion of a speaker, I do not accept censorship and I do not consider that there is transphobia at all.”
The seven associations – only Transgrils and Aperttura have stopped signing – denounce in a statement that the Cabildo de Tenerife supports “a debate on the participation of trans people in a sports congress that has speakers who reproduce trans-exclusionary hate speech.” In addition, they assure, that “the regional government has been notified to adopt precautionary measures against damage due to discrimination against the group, in application of the Trans and Intersex Canaria Law.”
the seven associations
The Tenerife collectives that support this common measure are Diversas, Canarypride, Libertrans, Transboys, Chrysallis Canary Islands, Port Effect and Intersex Walking. They consider that in this congress “the inclusion of trans people in sports competitions will foreseeably be questioned.”
The entities denounce that the Cabildo de Tenerife has organized this debate on trans inclusion, which was already suspended for this very reason in Gran Canaria, with its back turned to the organizations belonging to the Insular Roundtable. In addition, with speakers who “reproduce hate speech and questioning of trans people.” They warn, in particular, about some participants, such as Irene Aguiar or Laura Redondo, because «they reproduce hate speech by expressing that trans women are, in reality, biological men who usurp positions from female athletes, spreading hoaxes about the application of the recently approved Trans Law». In the opinion of the entities, the Cabildo should bear in mind that the International Olympic Committee advocates non-discrimination against trans people in sport. They demand the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, and the Minister of Diversity, Nauzet Gugliotta, not to support a debate “that only exudes hatred against trans women.” That “would be a betrayal of the cross-cutting diversity policies implemented during this mandate.”
The groups are questioning “if behind this disastrous decision will be the Minister of Social Action, Marián Franquet, who already signed an unfortunate manifesto with trans-exclusionary positions a few years ago.” These associations request “precautionary measures” against “imminent damage due to discrimination.” They even point out that “this debate could violate the regional and state legal system in diversity.”
Counselor Gugliotta values: “We have supported and will continue to support a Diverse Tenerife without discrimination”, but “we do not accept censorship”. He emphasizes: “The congress is about women in sport, it does not propose to talk about gender identity nor is trans people going to be questioned.” And he concludes: «I do not censure anyone, although I may disagree with some opinions. But, that does not mean eliminating the debate, something we are not willing to do.
