Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: In Spain a social and political debate is taking place in response to the vindication of diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) organizations to give same-sex couples access to marriage. It focuses on the recognition of the relations of same-sex couples, while giving legal cover to the so called “de facto” couples (which is also open to the heterosexual couples) without recognizing all the inherent rights within marriage. In this article I initially review the historical and social circumstances in Spain that have allowed the transition from the persecution of homosexuals to the recognition of certain rights and duties for couples formed by two people of the same sex. I will give special attention to the existence of a consciousness of inequality in comparison to the heterosexual couples that is now the source of a fight to obtain total equality. My next point is an analysis of the symbolic and cultural elements that are being discussed and used when allowing the recognition of this type of homosexual relationships. Although an analysis of this type would have to include social actors’ discourses and their practices, we will limit ourselves to the specifics that are being addressed in the Spanish legal system. I conclude with a brief review of the criticisms, the challenges and possibilities that are being generated by the legalization of this type of sexual relations between people of the same sex.
Author: José Ignacio Pichardo Galán
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2186209417