Tired of receiving homophobic attacks, Javier Sierra, the mayor of Icod de Los Vinos, has spoken out. After enduring constant harassment, including graffiti in the town’s central square and insults on social media, the head of the Icod council, one of the most densely populated areas in northern Tenerife (with over 22,000 residents), has turned to the same social networks to expose it.
The mayor attaches two photos with messages that read “Javi Sierra is gay” and “Sierra, we don’t want you”, along with a screenshot of a message he received on social media saying: “Spend the money on fixing the town, faggot”. To these images, he adds a comment that starts with: “Like these, I receive some messages daily. Additionally, also in the form of graffiti on the walls of Plaza de Andrés de Lorenzo Cáceres (October 2023) or outside my house (August 2017)”.
Javier Sierra adds to his social media profiles: “I understand politics as a vocation of service to my people, always with respect for all ideas and from the freedom of each to support the option they prefer, but there are lines that cannot be crossed. Disagreement is possible but certainly not like this. No person deserves this type of attack.”
The mayor of Icod, who took office last summer after municipal elections where he made Alternativa Icodense the most voted force, details: “I am very proud of who I am and where I am, the result of my effort and with the support of many people who believe in me and the team of people who accompany me. We will continue working to improve Icod and to ensure that education, respect, and tolerance for different ideas remain our best banner. Yes, with great pride. Thank you for making me a little stronger”.
Sierra has reported these homophobic attacks to the Civil Guard. “The cup has run over. I’ve been enduring this harassment for months. This can’t go on. That’s why I posted this complaint on my social media”. The leader of Alternativa Icodense, who was previously a councillor in the same council with the PSOE, believes that “we must take action and report” because these types of behaviours “can even lead to bullying in schools against students who don’t want to play ball or those who prefer to play with dolls”.
“I have taken a stand to create awareness,” emphasizes Javier Sierra, who invites the rest of the residents to report if they experience degrading treatment, because “there are institutions, like this council, and people who will support them and who will defend the right to be whoever they want”.
