The LGBTIQA+ organisations in Tenerife have condemned this Wednesday “the overt transphobia evident in the exhibition Moments of Feminism.” This exhibition is held in the Central Building of the University of La Laguna (ULL) as part of the events for November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women). One of the posters describes free gender self-determination as “dangerous”.
The groups highlight that the content of this poster includes claims such as: “in recent years, certain countries have enacted laws that permit any man to ‘self-determine’ as a woman, with merely their word as the sole requisite,” and “as feminists, we cannot permit gender to be incorporated into laws as an identity, prioritised above the category of sex.” They assert in a statement that these declarations “directly refute trans identities and promote a narrative that marginalises the experiences and rights of trans identities, particularly that of trans women who endure dual discrimination.”
The organisations assert that “these pronouncements serve as a blatant illustration of institutionalised transphobia that cultivates bias and stigma towards trans women and trans individuals in general.” Furthermore, they believe that showcasing these types of messages in an educational and cultural venue like ULL not only sustains discrimination but also “validates the symbolic and structural violence these individuals confront daily, effectively rendering the public university an unsafe environment for those belonging to the LGBTIQA* community.”
❌WE CLARIFY that the Diversity Classroom DOES NOT share the acts of vandalism against the exhibition, much less the violent hate speech against trans individuals that it contains.
🏛️We formally demand the protection of the Government Team and the Rector for it to be withdrawn. https://t.co/blDic72731
— ULL Diversity Classroom 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@diversidadull) November 27, 2024
They also remind that regional legislation (Canarian Law 2/2021 of June 7) and state legislation (Law 4/2023 of February 28) establish a punitive regime for infractions for which public legal entities may also be held accountable. Additionally, Article 59 of the regional law designates acts that indicate isolation, rejection or public and notorious contempt of individuals due to gender identity or expression as a serious infraction.
Moreover, they contend that public spaces and institutions should refrain from inciting or promoting statements that reinforce the notion that trans individuals “choose to be” when the reality is that trans people “are.” They insist that a university educational institution must uphold academic integrity at both legislative and scientific levels, with this poster being an instance of disinformation.
The LGBTIQA* organisations in Tenerife are calling for the immediate withdrawal of the posters from the aforementioned exhibition at the University of La Laguna, along with demands for clarification regarding the lack of oversight on the content of the exhibition. Furthermore, they are contemplating initiating additional actions, including an urgent meeting to address this situation that has unveiled the ongoing transphobia jeopardising the rights of trans individuals in the Canary Islands.