Ingenio Exhibition Celebrates 20 Years of Equal Marriage and LGTBI Struggle
The 'Geography of Resistances' exhibition covers the evolution of the LGTBI movement and the fight for rights until September 30th at the Federico García Lorca Cultural Center.
By Gara León Betancourt
••3 min read
IA
Image of the exhibition on the history of equal marriage and LGTBI rights in Canarias.
The Villa de Ingenio inaugurated the exhibition ‘Geography of Resistances and 20 Years of Equal Marriage’, open until September 30th, which traces the evolution of the LGTBI movement and the fight for rights.
The historical and cultural exhibition ‘Geography of Resistances and 20 Years of Equal Marriage’ opened this Monday, September 14th, in the Villa de Ingenio. The exhibition covers the evolution of the LGTBI movement and the struggles that enabled the achievement of fundamental rights for equality and diversity.
Eduardo Manzano, secretary of the collective Marikas Rurales, shared a personal perspective on the transformation over the past two decades, highlighting how equal marriage granted rights denied for years. He emphasized that these 20 years celebrate a conquest and honor those who faced discrimination beforehand.
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"I never say that we still have a path to travel, but rather that we pick up the baton from those who have forged the path."
Daniel Alemán, president of Marikas Rurales, stressed the importance of knowing history to understand the value of acquired rights. The exhibition aims to show the origin of achievements, the path taken, and the need to preserve equality and diversity.
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"With this exhibition, we try to show where what we have achieved comes from, where we have arrived, and that we do not want to lose what we have, because it is about equality, it is about diversity, it is about maintaining rights, and it is fundamental in society."
Celso Mendoza, general director of Diversity for the Government of Canarias, explained that the initiative was inspired by a Ministry exhibition and has been adapted for Canarias, incorporating local testimonies and references to the archipelago's LGTBI history. The exhibition celebrates the enactment of the Equal Marriage Law as a conquest of rights for all.
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"The exhibition covers what has been achieved in recent years up to the promulgation of the Equal Marriage Law, which is what this exhibition celebrates: the conquest of rights. Because this conquest must be understood not only as people in the collective being able to marry, but as a conquest of rights for everyone."
Rayco Padilla, first deputy mayor of the Ingenio City Council, thanked the exhibition for coming to the municipality and valued the work of Marikas Rurales, highlighting that they have filled an important space for the locality.
Elisabet Santana, general director of Social Services and Immigration for the Government of Canarias, emphasized the exhibition's necessity in remembering those who drove progress and reaffirmed the government's commitment to a just, equal, and free society, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Juan Díaz, counselor for the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, shared his memories of those years, recalling his time as mayor during the first equal marriage ceremony and the preceding mobilizations. He warned about the possibility of losing achieved rights and encouraged continued defense of them.
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"It is also important to remember that we can achieve rights, but what is achieved can also be lost. So I encourage you to maintain the drive, the strength, so that we continue to uphold the rights we have achieved."
Lucrecio Suárez, councilor for Social Services, and Sebastián Suárez, councilor for Culture, also spoke to defend consolidated rights, advocate for diversity, and highlight the role of education and younger generations in building a hate-free society.
The exhibition ‘Geography of Resistances and 20 Years of Equal Marriage’ will be open to the public until September 30th in the Manolo Mherc Exhibition Hall of the Federico García Lorca Cultural Center.
