Feminist protests all over Spain on 8M reflect the rupture within the feminist movement
People from all over Spain marched down streets of towns and cities celebrating Women’s Day, also referred to as 8M. However, for the first time in Spanish history, they did not march as one. Two different marches were held by feminist groups in multiple cities, each of them representing communities with divergent perceptions of feminism. This division represents the internal rift within the feminist movement.
On one hand, the usual trans-inclusive, intersectional feminist marches were held, with people of all genders, races and sexualities holding up posters with mottos such as ‘Derechos para todas, todos los días’ (‘Rights for all women, every day’) or ‘¡Mujeres libres y diversas! ('Free and diverse women!’).
On the other hand, ‘abolitionist’ groups advocated for the abolition of prostitution, pornography and surrogacy, the removal of the Trans Law (‘la ley trans’) and the exclusion of LGBTQ+ women from the feminist community, amongst many other stances.
Even though it seems to many that the source of this division was due to people’s opinions on prostitution, it stems from the historical fear of TERFs (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists) when it comes to the Trans Law, as it paves the way for legal gender self-identification without years of hormone therapy or a medical diagnosis. It is argued that by passing this law “they are erasing womanhood” and “invalidating the experiences of ‘real’ women,” a reasoning that is also applied when talking about transgender women.
However, Ana Useros, from the 8-M Commission, argued that “trans [and other queer] women are part of the feminist struggle and have always been part of it. Their rights are human rights and there is no discussion of that within the organisation.”
What is more, when addressing surrogacy and prostitution, Useros added: “it is not that there is no consensus, it is that it has not been debated because they are relatively recent issues and due to the pandemic it has not been possible to address them in detail.”
Carla Galeote, Spanish activist and TikTok influencer, expressed her disappointment at this division on 8M: “the fact that feminism, or rather that feminist associations that organise these marches, are not able to reach a consensus on common objectives and are not able to leave behind what divides us and fight for what unites us, is simply shameful. It is especially shameful for young people who will protest for the first time and who, instead of marching, will have to choose which side they are on. This is threatening the main purpose of 8M, which is to raise our voices as a community, as one.”
By Anna Alandete
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