This is part of the work on this blog about the history of lesbians in La Rioja. There was a lot of information about GYLDA in La Rioja and its intersections with lesbian issues in the region that it made sense to write a separate history of the organization and include it in the section about Logroño for the ebook. As with all histories here, it is as complete as it can be. These histories are never complete in actuality, because a million smaller details can always be added that aid in creating a bigger picture of the situation for lesbians in Logroño, in La Rioja and in the whole of Spain. At the moment though, this is the most comprehensive history of GYLDA in Spanish or English.

A history of GYLDA, La Rioja’s first LGTB rights organization

GYLDA was founded on 13 December 1995 by Virginia, Cristina, Emilio and José Ubis among others. The founders and the most active early members were primarily lesbians who had already known each other through their social group. Presidents of GYLDA from its founding until 2012 included Francisco J. Pérez, Jesús Cárcamo, María Fajardo, Chelo Rabanal, Teresa Ayuso, Jesús Palacios, Ángel Torres, Bruno Gamboa, José Ubis, and Virginia Fuertes. The name of the group was a reference to the 1946 film Gilda and because it can be used to mean, “Gays y Lesbianas De Aquí”.[1] Early on, the group focused on prioritizing the individual by offering advice and help. Visibility and vindication of rights was secondary, even if the group said they were fully committed to HIV / AIDS and general STD prevention work. [2] Soon after being founded, the group started organizing local Orgullo events, and would do so for over the next two decades with assistance from locals and popular meeting places.  This tied in with one of their early priorities of trying to make the LGTB community in the region more visible and to fight for LGTB rights. At the same time, they also were committed to preventing the spread of HIV / AIDS and STDs more generally.  [3] By 2010, the remaining activists in GYLDA were primarily Francisco Pérez Diego, Roberto Carreras, Mónica Vitoria, Javi Valverde and José Sáenz.[4] GYLDA officially ceased activity in July 2012, with its militants remaining slightly active before reappearing in 2016 with the same name and same demands. The association had a lot of early ties to the feminism association. Little by little, they moved away from that space as both groups realized they needed their own identities and had their own unique demands. When the organization was founded, the organization did alternating leadership of woman, man, woman, man, with seven women and six men in their first thirteen leaders. One of the group’s early focuses was on marriage equality. After that happened, the group moved on to a larger battle fighting homophobia.  [5]

Unusual for the time, the organization had a website by 1997. It was located at http://www.arrakis.es/~tatxo . GYLDA collaborated with the Asexórate program in 1997 and 1998. They assumed full responsibility of the project, financed by the Logroño town hall, until 2001.

GYLDA almost disappeared in 1999, when around thirty activists came to an agreement to try to rejuvenate the organization.[6] GYLDA joined FELGT in 2001. Around 2001, the organization had 53 members of which 44 were women and nine were men. [7] The major political activities from 1999 to 2005 were trying to pass a domestic partnership law in La Rioja and to assist in the national battle for same-sex marriage. Activists involved in this fight included Mónica Dueñas, Gema, Jesús Cárcamo, Ángel Torres, Sergio Iñiguez, Roberto Carreras, Marga, Belén, Teresa, María and José Sáenz. [8] These activities were in line with those being pushed nationally by FELGT.

The influence of the organization’s lesbians could be seen in their feminist related activities. GYLDA published a statement on 8 March 2003 in honor of International Women’s Labor Day in the newspaper La Rioja that read in part, “With this title, it is impossible not to speak of double discrimination! As women we join the cry of other women, our partners. We denounce the gender violence and labor inequality that is being felt in Spain. We denounce the violation of human rights suffered by women in other parts of the world.”, “As lesbian women, WE DEMAND this heterosexist society to evolve, to grow, to transform, to UNDERSTAND that love between women is not a crime or an aberration, but rather a different way of living sexuality and life. As lesbian women we demand legal equality, where we can get married, where we can adopt, where we can have children together.”[9]

There was a man in GYLDA who wanted a leading role in the organization, who was supported by the three other men. At the same time around the mid-2000s, there were some personal conflicts between women in the group, which led to a falling out among the female members of the group because of the power distribution that had nothing to do with gender related disputes. Many of these women eventually left, and would remain outside the activist community for many years. [10]

In 2004, GLYDA asked the La Rioja Prosecutor’s Office to take action against Opus Dei and Presbyterial Council of the Diocese of Calahorra-La Calzada-Logroño, member Carlos Moreda de Lecesa for his statements in the Diario de La Rioja on 24 July 2004 that were “denigrating example of public incitement to hatred and discrimination against a whole group of people.” Part of Moreda’s article said, homosexuality was caused by “some anomaly caused by a difficult affective relationship with the father of the same sex.” and that homosexual practices “have always been considered disordered.”[11]

After marriage equality was achieved, GYLDA turned its focus to combatting homophobia more generally.[12] GYLDA advocated for the recognition of lesbian and transexual women visibility in 2008. They said this was important because both groups feared rejection from family and employers. [13] GYLDA launched a campaign in schools and university to combat LGTBfobia from 12 to 18 May 2008 to coincide with 17 May’s Día contra la Homofobia, Transfobia y Bisfobia. They encouraged teachers to use time to reflect on discrimination against the LGTB community, and provided a copy of a manifesto teachers could read to students.[14]

Every year from at least 2005 to 2008, GYLDA held a spring gathering and the autumn gathering at a hostel in the city, needing a larger space since the event attracted participants from other parts of Spain. People from Barcelona, Catalonia, Levante, Madrid and Palencia would attend these twice yearly events, having made friends or acquaintances with members of the group and using that as an excuse to visit Logroño and get together with others like themselves. The gatherings started on a Friday night with dinner and then continued until Sunday where they concluded with lunch. The 2008 spring gathering took place from 18 to 20 April at Albergue de Soto de Cameros. [15]

In 2006, the government of Logroño, under Articulo 37 del reglamento Orgánico de Participación Ciudadana declared GYLDA registered as a municipal public utility. In 2007, GYLA created an HIV / AIDS awareness campaign at the Universidad de La Rioja. [16]

GYLDA founded the Centro Arco Iris, which provided counseling to members of the LGTB community and for dealing with health issues impacting the LGTB community like STDs and HIV/AIDS. The center was located on property ceded by the town hall for this purpose for which GYLDA had an agreement with the town hall to carry out. [17]

GYLDA was holding meetings every Tuesday night from 8pm to 10pm in 2008. The meetings were often social occasions for members to get together, while also used for planning programming activities.[18] That year, the organization had around 95 members of which thirty-five were dues paying members. [19] GYLDA had around 50 members in 2012.[20]

In early February 2008, GYLDA announced they were starting a campaign to encourage people to vote for progressive political parties in the upcoming elections. They believed doing so would result in the continued advancement of their agenda, which had made significant strides in recent years, and help building a society that was moving “towards social progress, social plurality, respect for family diversity and the eradication of any conduct of discrimination based on sex, race, social or cultural class, religion or sexual orientation.”[21]

In 2008, the Ayuntamiento de Logroño hosted an act recognizing GLYDA for the first time as part of Orgullo celebrations. Concejala de Igualdad Concepción Arribas and Concejala de Derechos Sociales Pilar Criado participated in ceremony where they received the rainbow flag from GYLDA in 2008. It was the first-time representatives from the town hall participated in such an act.[22]

The Logroño town hall allocated €18225 to GYLDA in 2009 to organize preventative health information and activities. [23]  GYLDA put forward a proposal in 2011 to SERIS, the region’s public health system, to carry out anonymous AIDS testing. [24] In 2011, GYLDA announced they would be providing free and anonymous HIV testing that used saliva and could provide results in twenty minutes.[25]

GYLDA organized Orgullo 2010 in Logroño. A ceremony was held at Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where a delegation from GYLDA met with the local government and mother municipal groups. The official press release around the event was very generic and only mentioned a need to combat generic discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

GYLDA launched an information campaign in schools in May 2012 for the coexistence and respect for affective and sexual diversity among young people. The campaign was timed to start with Día contra la homofobia, transfobia y bifobia.[26] 51 La Rioja educational centers participated in GYLDA’s information campaign. The motto for that year’s events was, “A la escuela, sin armarios”.[27]

GYLDA President Francisco Pérez Diego was quoted in 2012 as saying that despite the economic crisis and subsequent funding crisis, the campaign to continue to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS could not be relaxed. [28]

GYLDA was the only LGTB organization in La Rioja going into 2012. [29] The LGTB community was left without an institutional voice in August 2012 after GYLDA formally dissolved in July 2012 after a vote by their board.[30] Francisco Pérez Diego was the president and José Sáenz was the organization’s secretary of GYLDA at the time of formal dissolution [31] 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.[32]

Despite being dissolved, GYLDA continued to its role dating back to 1995 of leading lesbian activism in La Rioja until 2014, when Marea Arcoíris and other LGTB groups were founded in the region. [33]

GYLDA then disappeared for a few years before quietly re-emerging in 2016. October of 2018, GYLDA joined FELGTB.[34] Jesús Cárcamo was GYLDA’s secretary in 2019.[35] José Sáenz and Jesús Cárcamo were respectively the president and secretary of GYLDA in 2021. [36]

Marea Arcoíris and GYLDA both had concerns about the commercialization of Pride in 2017.  Marea Arcoíris was quoted in El Salto Diario as saying, “Pride can only become an object of consumption if the people who organize it are subjects of consumption”, but they assume that “if companies see business, they will take advantage of it”.  GYLDA was quoted by the same publication as saying that it shared the same concerns  “although we do not believe that in the short term the vindictive character can be lost”.[37]

In 2017, the ayuntamiento de Logroño and GYLDA had a ceremony where the rainbow flag was presented and the ayuntamiento announced its support, along with declaring the municipal government as a place for diversity. Of the nine people photographed with the flag, only three were women of which one was PSOE councilor Beatriz Arraiz Nalda who was in the center while the other two women appeared in the far left of the image. [38]

GYLDA organized a protest in September 2018 to condemn the murder Francisco Javier U. P., a transwoman who went by the name Ely, in Valladolid on 12 August 2018. The concentración took place at Plaza del Mercado in Logroño.[39] GYLDA hosted an event called La Mar Variada at Pub Submarino in October 2018 to discuss the reality of LGTBI life in La Rioja. [40]

Orgullo 2019 in Logroño was jointly organized by GYLDA and Marea Arcoiris, with a goal trying to stop “the advancement of the extreme right.” GYLDA Secretary Jesús Cárcamo said of the need for the march, “The moment we stop living as heterosexuals there is a minority sector that does not accept it” and that attacks against homosexuals and transexual people were growing in the region in parallel to their increased visibility. [41]

GYLDA, in charge of organizing institutionally supported Orgullo in Logroño in 2020, dedicated it specifically to giving additional attention to making transwomen more visibility as part of the collective. The organizer said that trans, lesbian and bisexual women all suffered double discrimination and were particularly hard hit by covid because of their vulnerable economic position. Lesbians were otherwise not mentioned. The 2020 Logroño Orgullo concentration had the motto of “Orgullo de ser mujeres, lesbianas, trans, bisexuals”.[42] It took place on 3 July 2020 at sede CCOO Logroño on Av. Pío XII, 33.

Gylda mentioned Lesbian Visibility Day on their Twitter account on 26 April 2020, using the hashtag #DiaVisibilidadLesbica.  They also made a post about the day on their website. Their Lesbian Visibility Day post was tagged LGBT, LGTB, Trans, Bisexual and Lesbiana even though their post did not mention trans people specifically, nor did it mention bisexuals.   The organization did not do any of their own programming to honor the day, and instead promoted programming by FELGTB. They would not go on to mention the day in 2021 nor 2022, nor have any programming for the day or promote Lesbian Visibility Day programming by other organizations.[43]

GYLDA organized Orgullo once again in Logroño in 2021, with the 26 June march having the motto, “Human Rights are not negotiated, they are legislated. Comprehensive Trans Law: Now!”.  The reading and promoting of the manifesto was done by GYLDA in collaboration with Chrysallis.  Attendees were asked to maintain a safe distance, wear a mask and wash their hands regularly.[44]  Marea Arcoíris organized their own Orgullo celebrations that took place in Logroño in the same time period.[45] GYLDA told Europa Press during Orgullo 2021 celebrations that they were satisfied that the way forward for the proposed gender self-identity law had happened with the national government.[46]

The Human Rights Observatory of La Rioja presented GYLDA with their award in August 2021 for their extensive work on fighting for LGTBI+ collective rights, fighting hate speech and combatting LGTBIphobic attacks.[47]

References

admingylda. (2020, April 18). VISIBLE FEST: Semana de la Visibilidad Lésbica 2020. Retrieved from GYLDA: http://www.gylda.lgbt/index.php/2020/04/18/visible-fest-semana-de-la-visibilidad-lesbica-2020/

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.

Ayuntamiento de Logroño. (2012, June 28). La alcaldesa de Logroño destaca la labor desarrollada por la asociación riojana GYLDA. Retrieved from Ayuntamiento de Logroño: http://web.logro-o.org/asp/admin_010/ot_ficha_user_rs.asp?clave=25452&viene_de=notas_prensa.asp

Canas, E., & Garcia, S. (2017, June 24). Rompiendo armarios: ¿cómo es el movimiento LGTBI en La Rioja? El Salto Diario. Retrieved from https://www.elsaltodiario.com/lgtbiq/rompiendo-armarios-como-es-el-movimiento-lgtbi-en-la-rioja

de Benito, E. (2004, August 9). Asociaciones gays piden a la fiscalía que actúe contra la Iglesia católica por “incitar al odio”. El País. Retrieved from https://elpais.com/diario/2004/08/09/sociedad/1092002402_850215.html

El Norte. (2018, September 24). Las redes se llenan de emotivos mensajes para despedirse de Eli. El Norte de Castilla. Retrieved from https://www.elnortedecastilla.es/valladolid/redes-inundan-emotivos-20180924180311-nt.html

Europa Press. (2011, June 28). Juventudes Socialistas de La Rioja critican el recurso del PP para derogar el matrimonio homosexual. 20 minutos. Retrieved from https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1095209/0/

Europa Press. (2019, June 26). Gylda: “En el momento en el que dejamos de vivir como heterosexuales hay un sector minoritario que no lo acepta”. Europa Press. Retrieved from https://www.europapress.es/la-rioja/noticia-gylda-momento-dejamos-vivir-heterosexuales-hay-sector-minoritario-no-acepta-20190626121835.html

GYLDA. (2003, March 8). Mujeres y Lesbianas. La Rioja, p. 15.

GYLDA. (2008, May 13). GYLDA lanza la campaña “EDUCANDO PARA LA CIUDADANÍA, EDUCANDO CONTRA LA DISCRIMINACIÓN”. InfoGay.

La Noticia. (2008). La Entrevista: Francisco Pérez Diego. La Noticia. Retrieved from http://www.lanoticia.es/ediciones/2008—/ln452/entrevista.htm

La Rioja. (2008, February 14). GYLDA pide el voto para los partidos progresistas. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/prensa/20080214/rioja-region/gylda-pide-voto-para-20080214.html

Larraz, I. (2012, May 20). «Las madres también debemos salir del armario». El Correo. Retrieved from https://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/v/20120520/rioja/madres-tambien-debemos-salir-20120520.html

Marea Arcoíris. (2021, June). carteleria. Retrieved from Marea Arcoíris: https://arcoirisenlarioja.blogspot.com/p/carteleria.html

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

Moreno, J. C. (2012, July 7). Nadie dará la cara por los homosexuales en La Rioja. OcioGay.com. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20130308041547/http://www.ociogay.com/2012/07/07/nadie-dara-la-cara-por-los-homosexuales-en-la-rioja/

rioja2. (2012, May 16). GYLDA inicia una campaña de información en los centros escolares. rioja2. Retrieved from https://www.rioja2.com/n-92700-2-GYLDA_inicia_campana_informacion_centros_escolares/

rioja2. (2018, October 4). El colectivo LGTBI+ desembarca en el Pub Submarino este viernes. rioja2. Retrieved from https://www.rioja2.com/n-124468-2-el-colectivo-lgtbi-desembarca-en-el-pub-submarino-este-viernes/

Rioja2. (2018, September 25). Gylda se concentra para condenar el asesinato de Ely. Rioja2. Retrieved from https://www.rioja2.com/n-124144-2-gylda-se-concentra-para-condenar-el-asesinato-de-ely/

Rioja2. (2021, June 23). Gylda, «satisfecha» por el «desbloqueo» de la Ley Trans. rioja2. Retrieved from https://www.larioja.com/la-rioja/gylda-satisfecha-desbloqueo-20210623125945-nt.html

Rioja2. (2021, June 18). La manifestación de Gylda del Orgullo será el sábado 26 de junio. rioja2. Retrieved from https://www.rioja2.com/n-153805-2-la-manifestacion-de-gylda-del-orgullo-sera-el-sabado-26-de-junio/

Romero Alonso, R. (2021, August 4). Entrega de premios anuales de Derechos Humanos de La Rioja. La Rioja. Retrieved from https://actualidad.larioja.org/noticia?n=not-entrega-de-premios-anuales-de-derechos-humanos-de-la-rioja

Val Cubero, A. (2003). La mujer logroñesa a través de la imagen en el siglo XX. Logroño: Gobierno de La Rioja, Instituto de Estudios Riojanos.

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[1] (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; La Noticia, 2008; Moreno, La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario, 2012; Ayuntamiento de Logroño, 2012)

[2] (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)

[3] (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; La Noticia, 2008; Moreno, La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario, 2012; Ayuntamiento de Logroño, 2012)

[4] (Moreno, Nadie dará la cara por los homosexuales en La Rioja, 2012)

[5] (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; La Noticia, 2008; Moreno, La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario, 2012; Ayuntamiento de Logroño, 2012)

[6] (Moreno, Nadie dará la cara por los homosexuales en La Rioja, 2012)

[7] (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)

[8] (Moreno, Nadie dará la cara por los homosexuales en La Rioja, 2012)

[9] (Val Cubero, 2003; GYLDA, 2003)

[10] (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)

[11] (de Benito, 2004)

[12] (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)

[13] (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)

[14] (GYLDA, 2008)

[15] (La Noticia, 2008)

[16] (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)

[17] (La Noticia, 2008)

[18] (La Noticia, 2008)

[19] (La Noticia, 2008)

[20] (Larraz, 2012)

[21] (La Rioja, 2008)

[22] (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; Moreno, Nadie dará la cara por los homosexuales en La Rioja, 2012)

[23] (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)

[24] (Álvarez Terán, Goicoechea Gaona, & Clavo Sebastián, 2019)

[25] (Europa Press, 2011)

[26] (rioja2, 2012; Moreno, La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario, 2012)

[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; Moreno, La Rioja no es lugar para salir del armario, 2012)

[28] (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)

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

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

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

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

[33] (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)

[34] (rioja2, 2018)

[35] (Europa Press, 2019)

[36] (Rioja2, 2021)

[37] (Canas & Garcia, 2017)

[38] (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)

[39] (Rioja2, 2018; El Norte, 2018)

[40] (rioja2, 2018)

[41] (Europa Press, 2019)

[42] English: Pride of being women, lesbians, trans, bisexuals”.

[43] (admingylda, 2020)

[44] (Rioja2, 2021)

[45] (Marea Arcoíris, 2021)

[46] (Rioja2, 2021)

[47] (Romero Alonso, 2021)