Chueca

COGAM is a collective of advocates fighting for the equality of the LGBTQ+ community in Spain. They took a major W with the legalization of gay marriage about twelve years ago.

You can sign up to be a member of COGAM for 6 to 11 euros a month, depending on your age, to gain access to literally hundredsIm not exaggerating, check their (http://www.cogam.es/) websiteof services: forums, classes, health aids, etc. etc.

Antonio is my boy. He spoke Spanish a bit over my pay grade but what else is new. I expected him to have some kind of personal connection to the LGBTQ+ communitya motivation to rectify some prejudice he'd been witness to like a goddamn Batman or something. I asked him why he volunteers with COGAM and he said that he just likes to help people. No personal connection; he's not Batman. He's a lawyer by trade though, and that's pretty

Bruce Wayne with the suits 'n shit.

The whole visit with Antonio was honestly a relief because this kind of thingan LGBTQ+ community, let alone an entire LGBTQ+-friendly districtdoesn't really exist in León.

León might be more comparable to the 'rural Texas' referenced above.

In my highly-impressive investigative reporting, I matched with a girl on Tinder who is actually from León, but now lives on Madrid. A ~~~match~~~ made in journalism heaven.

(Also, nothing will make you question your life decisions more than resurrecting your Tinder profile from freshman year but whatever it's fine, I'm fine.)

My match, Sofía, is 19. According to her bio she's got something to say about two paths to paz but thats about as far as I got because Spanish.

She told me that part of the reason she chose to move to Madrid for college was because theres more freedom in Madrid as a gay woman. León is more conservative, she said. In my observations as a bystander alone, that feels accurate for sure.

Though, she told me that her experience as a gay woman in Spain is good overall. Her friends are cool with it and her dad is always looking for a girlfriend for her (brb crying), she said.

So, I guess things can feel pretty similar

Urban Seattle : Madrid; Rural Texas : León. It really just depends.

As Americans, we might shame ourselves for enduring 50+ years of fighting before realizing the constitutional right to equality for

same-sex couples in the States, because Spain (seemingly) had its shit together at least a bit sooner, in 2005. BTW, none of us had our shit together in 2005, so it's all the more impressive. Fucking popped collars were a thing in 2005 for God's sake. I cut my own fucking side bangs in 2005.

BUT, the point is: being homosexual in any country can be complicated, it really just depends.

Maybe change just happens differently here vs. back home. Maybe in Spain it's more of a top(no pun intended)-down thing, and in the States it's more bottom(lol)-up thing.

Regardless, it was comforting to find a slice of home in Spain. No rainbow sidewalks in Chueca, but it'll have to suffice for now.

xoxo,

h