Same-sex marriage and family equality in La Rioja

              Same-sex marriage came to La Rioja on 3 July 2005.  In the five years leading up to marriage equality becoming legal, there increased visibility, awareness and organization for lesbians and the LGTB community in La Rioja more broadly as a result of marriage equality efforts.  It led to a few local efforts to support diversity and inclusion in smaller towns in the region. At the same time, data became available for the first time that allowed the size of the homosexual population in various parts of Spain to be measured. This data showed that the number of lesbians and gays living in La Rioja represented a tiny fraction of the same-sex population in Spain, 1% of the national total and less than that when broken down by sex.

              There does not appear to be much evidence of activism in La Rioja around those efforts though.  The major event was a symbolic same-sex wedding that took place in Navarra on 13 November 2004, the first that took place in the Spanish democratic period, around two weeks after the local town hall in Azgara, Navarra decided they would be perform symbolic same-sex marriages. The participants included José Manuel Salvador, from Cervera del Río Alhama, and Raúl Jiménez, from Bedmar, Jaén, with the ceremony taking place at the Francisco Arbeloa’ school in Azagra where they lived together. A year or so after their wedding, the couple moved to Tudela. [1]

              Unlike nine other regions, La Rioja did not pass any law providing for civil unions, parejas de hecho, before same-sex marriage became legal.  They would be one of the last regions to eventually do so, trailed behind only by Murcia. [2]

              In the lead up to the passage of the law ensuring marriage equality, Christian groups from Catalonia, the Basque Country, Andalusia, Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid, Castilla La Mancha, Valencian Community and Murcia were signatories to an FELGT religious affairs commission letter that positioned themselves away from a June 2005 protest in Madrid supported by Foro de la Familia and Partido Popular that said homosexual marriage and same-sex couple adoption would destroy the family. These groups countered that message in their letter saying, “We believe in the family, and also in those made up of same-sex couples, who have the right to live our love in common with dignity. We do not want to destroy the family institution, but rather extend it to other family realities that exist in fact, which will lead to their full integration into society in a stable environment.” They also highlighted that they were “part of the Church, which is not only constituted by the Hierarchy but by the entire People of God” and that they are “faithful to the Gospel of Jesus, who spoke of love and justice and not of discrimination”.[3]

After same-sex marriage became law, Calahorra mayor Javier Pagola indicated hesitation around it saying that the term marriage “rechina” meaning squeaks. Haro mayor Patricio Capellán said he would refuse to perform same-sex weddings because, “I am a Catholic and my beliefs prevent me from doing so.” To prevent legal problems for the town, he promised to delegate the task to another member of the Ayuntamiento de Haro if a couple applied to get married.  No same-sex couples would apply for a marriage license in Haro by September 2005.[4]

It took a few months for the first same-sex marriage to take place in La Rioja after it became legal, with the first same-sex marriage taking place in Rincón de Soto on 11 September 2005, and was between Montse Almendari and Marta Amo. The ceremony was officiated by Partido Popular mayor José Luis Arpón at the Ayuntamiento. It was one of twelve weddings the mayor would officiate during his time in office, and for him was just another wedding while acknowledging that it was a very special day for the couple involved.[5]

The couple had wanted an intimate and familiar wedding, but half the town turned out for the event with over 200 guests total at the ceremony held in the local Rincón de Soto town hall. The couple arrived at the ceremony in a blue 406 Peugeot. Both women wore pants and blazers. The ceremony lasted around 20 minutes, with each woman carrying a rose. No rice was thrown on the way out. The couple then went to Calahorra where the banquet was held.[6]

Some of the older people in the town were opposed to the wedding in 2005. They saw marriage equality as taking away from their rights. Other older people were indifferent, but thought these things should remain private or that they should just live together without marriage. Those in their late teens and early twenties were much more supportive of same-sex marriage and Amo and Almendari getting married.  The number of same-sex marriages performed in La Rioja was low, which made sense given the low population levels. In the first six months marriage equality was legal, around five same-sex marriages took place. Around ten same-sex marriages took place in La Rioja within the first twelve months of same-sex marriage being legal in Spain.[7]  According to Instituto Nacional de Estadística data, there were three female-female marriages in 2005 in La Rioja.  Of the same-sex marriages that took place that first year, four took place in Logroño with paperwork for four of them having been initiated by September even though none of the couples had married by that point. One of those weddings took place in Nalda, and was between gay men Carlos and Ángel. After a little over a year of same-sex marriage being legal in Spain, ten same-sex couples in La Rioja had gotten married out a total of 1,684 same-sex weddings nation wide in the same period. [8]

One of the earlier lesbian marriages took place in La Rioja in May 2006, and was featured in the newspaper La Rioja with an image of two women kissing each other on the cheek. [9] Seven of the first twenty same-sex marriages in the region, all occurring before March 2007, took place in Logroño. The first took place on 30 September 2005, and was the second to take place in La Rioja. The wedding occurred at the town hall.[10]

After same-sex marriage became legal in Spain, many LGB activists in La Rioja got married, some had children either through adoption or through reproductive assistance and felt like their lives had become normalized. They stopped being as involved in LGTB activism in La Rioja as a result. This normalization to a large degree would be one of the reasons for the collapse of GYLDA.[11]

Lots of the initial data published had conflicting numbers.  The Ministerio de Justicia cautioned though that these numbers may be an undercount as only 219 of the 432 registro civils nationally had their records digitized when early numbers were being published. It did not include the Basque Country and more than 7,000 registros de civil around the country. Numbers from this period consequently did not always add up, and more recently released numbers are more reliable. According to Instituto Nacional de Estadística data , there were twelve same-sex marriages in La Rioja in 2006, with three couples being all women. Between 30 June 2006 and 27 June 2007, only 13 same-sex marriages took place in the region. Nationally, the Anuario de la Dirección General de los Registros y del Notarial recorded 3,340 same-sex marriages in Spain, 2,375 for male couples and 965 female couples. [12]  

In 2007, there were eight same-sex marriages in La Rioja. There were two marriages between women in La Rioja in 2007 according to Instituto Nacional de Estadística data.[13]  Between June 2005 and June 2008, there were seventeen same-sex weddings performed in La Rioja. This ranked the region to last in the nation, behind Navara with thirty-three. [14]

Deborah Pimentel is gitano from Logroño and was born in 1990. She worked as a delivery person and has been married, with her grandmother attending the wedding. During the wedding, she ripped off her shawl instead of her shirt as a nod to her culture. In her life, she faced more discrimination for being Roma than for being a woman or a homosexual. Despite the stigma faced by homosexuals in the Roma community, her parents were initially not accepting of her sexual orientation but later became so in part because the stigma was always worse for gay men.[15]

Couples still created their own family units regardless of the change in law giving more legal rights to same-sex couples through marriage. In 2007, there were same-sex couples living together in parts of the region outside Logroño, including in Calahorra, Arnedo and Pradejón.[16]

Around forty families composed of same-sex couples and their children attended the first national meeting organized by FELGTB on homoparental families in Santander in October 2007. The families came from the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, Madrid, La Rioja, Valencia, the Basque Country and Catalonia. All fifteen of the children who attended with their parents were biological children of one member of the couple or had been adopted by one parent when they were single or in a heterosexual marriage. This was because despite the legal change in 2005 allowing adoption, many barriers were still in place to allow same-sex couples to adopt.[17]

By 2008, La Rioja, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia were the only regions in Spain not to have enacted a civil union or civil registry on a regional level.[18]

Around 10 same-sex marriages took place in 2008. In 2008, there were nine same-sex marriages in La Rioja, six between men and three between women. Data published later by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística said there were four marriages between women in La Rioja in 2008.[19]

Around 10 same-sex marriages took place in 2009, six of which were between women. By August 2009, a total of 34 same-sex couples had wed in La Rioja since same-sex marriage became legal in July 2005.[20]

Lesbians creating families in La Rioja continued to face difficulties, though some of these were cultural. In the 2010s, many lesbian women in the region preferred to keep their sexual orientation private. This desire has meant that lesbian women in the region have been largely invisible. These lesbians did not necessarily feel repressed but hidden because of an internalized narrative that they should be hidden.[21]

At the same time in the 2010s, being a mother was a very important role for lesbians in the region. It allowed women to reconcile their “role as women” in La Riojan society and gain social recognition that comes along with being a mother.[22]

The volume of female-female weddings remained relatively stable. Around ten same-sex marriages took place in 2010, of which five were between women. [23]

A law establishing civil unions, pareja de hecho, was established in La Rioja on 14 May 2010.  The region was one of the last to estalish such a law.  The requirements were similar to other regions, including that people applying for this status either be Spanish citizens or legal residents in Spain, along with evidence that the couple had been together for the previous two years period.[24]

There were 22 same-sex marriages in 2011. This was the most for any year since same-sex marriage became legal.  Eight involved women. That year, same-sex couples represented around 1.6% of all registered couples in the region, the fourth least among all autonomous regions in Spain.[25]

There were 22 same-sex marriages in 2012. This was tied with 2011 for most same-sex marriages in the region since such marriages became legal.  Eleven were between women, an increase in total and percentage from the previous year.  This was a new high for most female-female marriages in the region. [26]

In February 2012, the regional president from Partido Popular, Pedro Sanz, said in an interview with TVR, “With all due respect, I think that a child raised in the union of a same-sex couple does not have the same opportunities nor does he receive an education exactly the same as another child who grows up in a heterosexual family.” [27]

Part of GYLDA[28]‘s response to the interview was “His statements [are] based exclusively on moral prejudices and very typical of another time.” PSOE said in part, “What children need in their homes is affection, balance, security, shared norms and that can be provided by everyone in the family.” Izquierda Unida condemned the remarks and used Pedro Sanz to apologize. [29]

With civil unions becoming legal in 2010, in the first eight years it was legal, the peak year for people registering as pareja de hecho was 2012 at 238.  None of these were female-female couples as none have ever been registered. The following year, in 2013, La Rioja pareja de hecho law was modified in order to try to prevent some cases of fraud that had occurred.[30]

Around 10 same-sex marriages took place in 2013, five between women. Around 10 same-sex marriages took place in 2014, nine of which involved women. That year, same-sex weddings in La Rioja accounted for 0.90% of all same-sex weddings performed that year in Spain. By 2014, lesbian marriages accounted for 43.53% of all same-sex marriages in the region. This compared to 37.48% of all same-sex marriages being lesbian nationally. More than 60% of these weddings nationally took place between couples where both were over 35 years old.[31]

108 total same-sex weddings had taken place in the region by 2015, ten years after same-sex marriage became legal in Spain and La Rioja. Of these, sixty percent were between men.[32] Castilla y León, Extremadura, La Rioja, Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha accounted for the lowest rates of same-sex marriage across all of Spain in 2015.  That year, seven marriages took place between women, with nine in the following year, eight in 2017 and eleven in 2018.[33]

Amnesty International, CC OO, IU and others set up stands at Plaza del Mercado in Logroño on the morning of Orgullo 2015’s festivities to give information to people participating in the concentration later in the day. People walking between stands enjoyed tapas and wine. There were two rainbow flags taken to the doors of concatedral de La Redonda. Motherhood and its desire for members to become mothers was mentioned in the context of the state trying to change abortion laws that would prevent women from exercising control over their bodies. Part of the manifesto demanded women retain such control. Another demand was that lesbians and bisexual women be given access to assisted reproductive techniques. This was one of the few occasions where lesbian parenting desire and access was mentioned in the regional media and was an issue addressed during Pride events in the region.

Despite same-sex marriage becoming legal in 2005 and the 2006 Ministerio de Justicia order, “ORDEN JUS/568/2006, de 8 de febrero, sobre modificación de modelos de asientos y certificaciones del Registro Civil y del Libro de Familia”, the Gobierno de La Rioja had yet to change their forms to be inclusive by May 2018. Among those who complained about these forms was Asociación Marea Arcoíris.[34]

One of the lesbian couples to marry in La Rioja were Amaya Martínez and Edelweiss Pérez, who wedded in September 2018. The couple then had a daughter together named Iria. One of the reasons they decided to marry was they were about to have a daughter together and it was easier for the daughter to be legally recognized as both of theirs if they were married; there were fewer bureaucratic barriers to being parents together when married.[35]

There were fifteen marriages between women in La Rioja in 2019 according to Instituto Nacional de Estadística data. By 2020, over 200 same-sex weddings took place in the region[36]

With the start of the global pandemic in March 2020, one would have expected a decline in the number of lesbian weddings. Despite that assumption, there were eighteen marriages between women in La Rioja in 2020 according to Instituto Nacional de Estadística data. The only other province or region which saw an increase in female-female marriages from 2019 to 2020 was Lugo, going from 4 to 5.[37]

Spanish law was amended in April 2021 to require that couples have registered themselves as being in a pareja de hecho on the municipal or autonomous comunidad level in order to be eligible for a widow’s pension.  The modification was done via the Supreme Court, who referenced the Constitutional Court.[38]

The Government of La Rioja amended the rights of large families for parejas de hecho to allow both members of the couple to be able to register as part of familias numerosas, instead of just one member of the couple.  This was done by adding a provision to Ley 7/2009, de 22 de diciembre. At the time, there were 4,5000 registered familias numerosas in La Rioja.  This law did not appear to impact any female-female couples as none had registered in the region as parejas de hecho.[39]

In the seventeen years that same-sex marriage was legalized, lesbian couples took advantage of the law to marry in the region.  When La Rioja finally legalized civil unions, lesbians did not appear to see this as a valid pathway for recognition of their relationships and continued to get married instead. Family rights provided in the same legislation in La Rioja were utilized, but women continued to have issues accessing reproductive assistance.  The current trajectory for both sets of rights suggests little will change regarding lesbian behavior and lesbian desires to access these services. Activism from within the community is low, and not very visible, supporting the idea that the status quo will largely remain in place unless some external factor drives change In the region.

Works Cited

ACN Press. (2007, June 27). Un total de 83 parejas homosexuales han contraído matrimonio en Canarias. Canarias 24 horas. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20071022080440/http://www.canarias24horas.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31992&Itemid=383

Álvarez Terán, R., Goicoechea Gaona, M. Á., & Clavo Sebastián, M. J. (2019). Conciencia Social y política de las mujeres que aman a mujeres en la transición al siglo XXI en La Rioja. Berceo, 176, 35-58.

Carmona, S. (12 de July de 2020). «A pesar del tiempo, aún hay quien tiene miedo a casarse y salir del armario». La Rioja. Obtenido de https://www.larioja.com/la-rioja/pesar-tiempo-miedo-20200712002511-ntvo.html

Carmona, S. (2020, July 12). ‘Bodas de cristal’ del matrimonio igualitario. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/la-rioja/bodas-cristal-matrimonio-20200712002511-ntvo.html

Castillo, I. (2015, March 18). Las parejas de hecho en La Rioja. Retrieved from mundojuridico.info: https://www.mundojuridico.info/las-parejas-de-hecho-en-la-rioja/

EFE. (2015, June 28). Diez años de matrimonio gay en España. La Vanguardia. Retrieved from https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20150628/54433078177/ley-del-matrimonio-homosexual-diez-anos.html

El País (Agencias). (2005, June 15). Cerca de 20 obispos acudirán a la manifestación contra las bodas gays el próximo sábado. El País . Retrieved from https://elpais.com/sociedad/2005/06/15/actualidad/1118786401_850215.html

Europa Press. (4 de March de 2020). Una investigación concluye que la mayoría de las mujeres lesbianas han defendido las reivindicaciones feministas. Europa Press. Obtenido de https://www.europapress.es/la-rioja/noticia-investigacion-concluye-mayoria-mujeres-lesbianas-defendido-reivindicaciones-feministas-20200304101950.html

Europa Press. (2022, February 26). Equiparados derechos de familias numerosas de parejas de hecho inscritas en el Registro a familias numerosas casadas. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.europapress.es/la-rioja/noticia-equiparados-derechos-familias-numerosas-parejas-hecho-inscritas-registro-familias-numerosas-casadas-20220226131159.html

Europa Press. (2022, April 25). Solo las parejas de hecho registradas accederán a la pensión de viudedad. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/sociedad/supremo-exige-inscripcion-20220425120650-ntrc.html

G, J. A. (2009, August 31). 34 parejas gays se han casado en la región desde el año 2005. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/20090831/rioja-region/parejas-gays-casado-region-20090831.html

Hoy. (2006, April 25). 23 parejas homosexuales se casaron en Extremadura tras la aprobación de la Ley. Hoy. Retrieved from https://www.hoy.es/pg060425/prensa/noticias/Sociedad/200604/25/HOY-SOC-202.html

Instituto Nacional de Estadística. (2021, April 1). Matrimonios entre mujeres por lugar de residencia. Total nacional y provincias. Retrieved from Instituto Nacional de Estadística: https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=9108

La Rioja. (2005, September 12). ¡VIVAN LAS NOVIAS! “LOS ALCALDES DEL PP CUMPLIREMOS LA LEY”. InfoGays. Retrieved from https://inforgay.blogspot.com/2005/09/vivan-las-novias-los-alcaldes-del-pp.html

Lastra, R. G. (2015, June 15). Diez años, cientos de bodas. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/la-rioja/201506/09/matrimonio-homosexual-cumple-decada-20150609002635-v.html

Lastra, R. G. (2018, February 15). La Rioja ha inscrito 706 parejas de hecho desde la puesta en marcha del registro en el año 2010. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/la-rioja/rioja-inscrito-parejas-20180214004759-ntvo.html

Momoitio, A. (2014, June 26). Partirse el velo. Pikara Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.pikaramagazine.com/2014/06/partirse-el-velo/

Moreno, J. C. (2012, September 13). La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.es/juan-carlos-moreno/la-rioja-no-es-lugar-para_b_1655791.html

Prats, J., & Navarro, S. (2008, June 5). Justicia obliga a la juez de Dénia a casar a dos británicos. El País. Retrieved from http://www.elpais.com/articulo/Comunidad/Valenciana/Justicia/obliga/juez/Denia/casar/britanicos/elpepuespval/20080605elpval_5/Tes

rioja2. (2018, May 30). Los impresos de matrimonio, sólo para heterosexuales. rioja2. Retrieved from https://www.rioja2.com/n-120653-2-los-impresos-de-matrimonio-solo-para-heterosexuales/

Sainz Jimenez, S. (2007, July 13). Veinte parejas gays se han casado en La Rioja desde la aprobación de la ley «Ya nadie se sorprende». La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/prensa/20070713/rioja_region/veinte-parejas-gays-casado_20070713.html

Terra Actualidad – Vocento/VMT. (2006, September 6). La Rioja registra diez bodas homosexuales tras un año de vigencia de la Ley. Terra Actualidad. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20070602102030/http://actualidad.terra.es/provincias/rioja/articulo/rioja_ley_registra_bodas_homosexuales_1069298.htm

Vivas-Tesón, I. (2008). Capítulo I: España: Tres Años de Matrimonio Homosexual. In M. Leal-Adorna, & R. M. León Benítez (Eds.), España: Tres años de matrimonio homosexual (pp. 25-40). Sevilla: Mergablum Edición y Comunicación.

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[1] (Sainz Jimenez, 2007)

[2] (Vivas-Tesón, 2008; Castillo, 2015)

[3] (El País (Agencias), 2005)

[4] (La Rioja, 2005)

[5] (Sainz Jimenez, 2007; Europa Press, 2018; G, 2009)

[6] (La Rioja, 2005)

[7] Other data said twenty same-sex marriages occurred in La Rioja in the twelve months, with sixteen of those weddings being between men and four between women.  See (Europa Press, 2006).

[8] (Terra Actualidad – Vocento/VMT, 2006)

[9] (Álvarez Terán, Goicoechea Gaona, & Clavo Sebastián, Conciencia Social y política de las mujeres que aman a mujeres en la transición al siglo XXI en La Rioja, 2019)

[10] (Sainz Jimenez, 2007)

[11] (Moreno, La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario, 2012)

[12] (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021; La Rioja, 2005; Terra Actualidad – Vocento/VMT, 2006; G, 2009; Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015; ACN Press, 2007)

[13] (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[14] (Prats & Navarro, 2008)

[15] (Momoitio, 2014)

[16] (Sainz Jimenez, 2007)

[17] (EFE, 2007)

[18] (Vivas-Tesón, 2008)

[19] (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021; G, 2009; Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015)

[20] (G, 2009; Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[21] (Álvarez Terán, Goicoechea Gaona, & Clavo Sebastián, Conciencia Social y política de las mujeres que aman a mujeres en la transición al siglo XXI en La Rioja, 2019)

[22] (Europa Press, 2020)

[23] (Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[24] (Castillo, 2015)

[25] (Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[26] (Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[27] (Álvarez Terán, Goicoechea Gaona, & Clavo Sebastián, Conciencia Social y política de las mujeres que aman a mujeres en la transición al siglo XXI en La Rioja, 2019)

[28] GYLDA was La Rioja’s major LGTB organization at the time, and they had been involved some in the battle for marriage equality in the early 2000s.

[29] (Álvarez Terán, Goicoechea Gaona, & Clavo Sebastián, Conciencia Social y política de las mujeres que aman a mujeres en la transición al siglo XXI en La Rioja, 2019)

[30] (Castillo, 2015; Lastra, 2018; Lastra, La Rioja ha inscrito 706 parejas de hecho desde la puesta en marcha del registro en el año 2010, 2018)

[31] (Lastra, Diez años, cientos de bodas, 2015; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[32] (Lastra, 2015)

[33] (EFE, 2015; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[34] (rioja2, 2018)

[35] (Carmona, ‘Bodas de cristal’ del matrimonio igualitario, 2020; Carmona, «A pesar del tiempo, aún hay quien tiene miedo a casarse y salir del armario», 2020)

[36] (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[37] (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021)

[38] (Europa Press, 2022)

[39] (Europa Press, 2022)