“Still a Long Way to Go”: Discrimination Beyond the Laws and Policies as Voiced by LGBTQ+ People in Spain

Legal recognition of LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights has gained momentum in Spain when compared with many countries in the European Union. However, supportive legal frameworks and policies continue to coexist with discrimination and prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals. The present study aimed to understand exposures to discrimination experienced by LGBTQ+ people in Spain, and the influence of socio-political context on such adverse experiences.

Purposive sampling was used to recruit 17 LGBTQ+ adults residing in Spain, with whom in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted from March 2021 to August of 2021. Data coding followed an inductive/deductive hybrid approach and was interpreted through thematic analysis.

The Spanish sociocultural context continues to impose experiences of discrimination on LGBTQ+ people through dominant discourses of heteronormativity, patriarchy, and cisnormativity. The intersectionality of multiple minorized identities has been addressed in the analysis. Experiences of discrimination and rejection are described in different contexts, as are acceptance and inclusion, within a conflictive and contradictory situation.

Findings emphasize the advancement in LGBTQ+ rights in Spain while suggesting gaps between these legally progressive policies and the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, such as continual discrimination of feminine, transgender, and minority ethnic/racial identities.

To address the acceptance and inclusion of sexual and gender diversity, it is important to implement measures at both the macro and micro levels. While legislative actions at the macro level can establish a foundational framework for equality, concurrently, it is also important to promote intersecting perspectives within the healthcare education curricula and leveraging mass media platforms to foster greater inclusivity in more direct contexts.