After the Socialist Party came to power in March 2004, a genuine socio-legal revolution began in Spain. In the spring of 2005, illegal immigrants were granted amnesty. This involved about 600,000 foreigners, including 35,000 from the republics of the former USSR. Then parliament passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage with the right to adopt children and inherit property.
This year will also bring many previously unthinkable innovations to Spanish society. These include the abolition of the traditional siesta in government institutions, as well as the teaching of the Catholic religion in schools.
According to the authorities' plan, granting political asylum to homosexuals and transsexuals will be another step in ensuring human rights. The new law will primarily benefit homosexuals and lesbians from Latin America, of whom there have traditionally been many on the Iberian Peninsula. The law may also serve citizens of the former Soviet Union. But only if they manage to convince the Spanish authorities that they were persecuted and oppressed at home because of same-sex love. This task is not easy, since homosexuality has long ceased to be a criminal offense, as it was in the USSR.
The new law has provoked protest from the conservative part of Spanish society. A multi-thousand demonstration of opponents of the socialist government was held in Madrid the other day, organized by the opposition People's Party. Critics of the law claim that the socialists are concerned not with human rights at all, but only with the votes of voters in the upcoming 2008 elections. Sexual minorities are known for their political activity. And in Spain, they have traditionally supported the socialists.
However, there is little chance that the law will be rejected. The socialists have an absolute majority in parliament. If the law is adopted, Spain will join the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada, which already grant asylum to representatives of sexual minorities. The irony is that among EU countries, Spain is known for its strictness in granting political asylum. Of the 12,000 applications last year, fewer than two hundred were granted. In practice, this means that it is almost impossible to obtain asylum in Spain for political reasons. Exceptions are extremely rare and are usually related to political circumstances or the interests of intelligence services. At one time, even Alina Fernandez, Fidel Castro's daughter, was denied asylum, despite Cuba being recognized as a totalitarian country and the applicant's native language being Spanish.