https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The country's only openly gay football referee, who has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, is now under police protection due to increasing threats on his life. https://www.thelocal.es/20160919/spains-only-gay-referee-under-police-protection-due-to-threats Mon, 19 Sep 2016 15:12:28 +0200 spains-only-gay-referee-under-police-protection-due-to-threats As Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo battles his own spate of homophobic attacks, Spain's first openly gay referee has opened up about his experiences working in a machismo sport. https://www.thelocal.es/20160405/im-the-only-referee-who-has-come-out-of-the-closet Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:58:45 +0200 im-the-only-referee-who-has-come-out-of-the-closet Forty percent of the 1,285 hate crimes reported to police across Spain last year targeted gays and lesbians, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20150415/gays-targeted-in-40-percent-of-spains-hate-crimes Wed, 15 Apr 2015 10:46:57 +0200 gays-targeted-in-40-percent-of-spains-hate-crimes In a first ever for Spain, the Catalan Parliament approved on Thursday a law which will punish those who attack gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals with fines of up to €14,000 ($17,700). https://www.thelocal.es/20141003/catalonia-passes-divisive-anti-homophobia-law Fri, 03 Oct 2014 12:53:00 +0200 catalonia-passes-divisive-anti-homophobia-law A ruling party politician is facing calls to resign after she blamed Spain's record €1 trillion ($1.3 trillion) public deficit "on subsidies offered to homosexuals" by the previous socialist government. https://www.thelocal.es/20140820/gays-are-to-blame-for-spains-debt-politician Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:05:00 +0200 gays-are-to-blame-for-spains-debt-politician A gay religion teacher from Spain's Canary Islands who recently wrote a letter to one of Spain's major newspapers praising local religious authorities for their tolerance has now been sacked from his job. https://www.thelocal.es/20140812/gay-religion-teacher-fired Tue, 12 Aug 2014 15:29:00 +0200 gay-religion-teacher-fired Spanish police have warned that the country's LGBT community have been the victim of more hate crimes than any other minority group, despite Spain being rated one of the world's most gay-friendly countries. https://www.thelocal.es/20140728/spains-gays-biggest-target-of-hate-crimes Mon, 28 Jul 2014 19:36:36 +0200 spains-gays-biggest-target-of-hate-crimes Many Spaniards are up in arms after the country's main department stores started stocking books geared towards "curing homosexuality" primarily in childhood. https://www.thelocal.es/20140617/how-to-stop-kids-being-gay-books-shock-spain Tue, 17 Jun 2014 13:55:12 +0200 how-to-stop-kids-being-gay-books-shock-spain A married couple has pressed charges against a village mayor in central Spain after she shouted out homophobic insults at them in a fit of rage they claim stems from their attempts at making the town hall accounts public. https://www.thelocal.es/20140512/homophobic-mayor-sued-gay-sanbartolome-spain Mon, 12 May 2014 13:37:00 +0200 homophobic-mayor-sued-gay-sanbartolome-spain