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Before Barcelona, before Madrid — Málaga was our introduction to queer Spain. A guide to the city's low-key gay scene, from the Plaza de la Merced bars to La Malagueta beach.
Benidorm's Pride Week runs through September 6, with Saturday's parade expected to draw its biggest crowd yet. Here's why this unglamorous Costa Blanca resort has quietly become one of Europe's most reliable LGBTQ+ gatherings.
ILGA-Europe's 2026 Rainbow Map puts Spain first out of 49 countries, ending Malta's decade-long run at number one — on the strength of trans healthcare reform, a new equality law, and consistent enforcement across all 17 regions.
Spain just claimed the top spot on Europe's Rainbow Map for the first time. But in Valencia, a regional rollback of trans protections is now before the Constitutional Court — a reminder that national wins and local realities don't always match.
With London out of the running, the race to host WorldPride 2030 is now a two-city contest between Bangkok and Barcelona. The winner won't be announced until January 2027 — but the choice says a lot about where the global movement thinks it's headed.
From 14 July, Spain's National Police will let trans foreigners correct their name and gender on residency documents — ending a policy that stamped newly arrived migrants with their deadname.
Fresh off topping Europe's Rainbow Map, Spain's Council of Ministers approved a first-of-its-kind State Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Trans People — a four-year roadmap that turns the 2023 Ley Trans into concrete policy.
The parade rolls out from Plaça Universitat on July 18, capping weeks of Pride in the country that just topped Europe's Rainbow Map. Here's how to do it right.
Europe's number-one country for LGBTQ+ rights is fighting a two-front battle in 2026: a constitutional challenge to the Ley Trans from the right, and a landmark vote to make conversion therapy a crime.
MADO 2026 reaches its climax on July 4 with the huge Atocha-to-Colón march — a mix of protest and party that anchors Europe's largest Pride celebration.
More than 10,000 athletes from dozens of countries wrap up the world's largest inclusive sporting event on July 4. After a hard week for LGBTQ+ news, Valencia is the reminder that the movement is also joy.
MADO kicks off June 25 in Chueca and builds toward Europe's largest Pride march on July 4 — staged in the country that just topped the Rainbow Map, and just as Spain reckons with a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime.
Catalonia has overhauled its decade-old LGBTI protections with a tougher law that reaches into workplaces and public contracts, adds real teeth for trans and intersex people, and sets penalties running into the hundreds of thousands of euros. It comes into force in 2026.
Spain just topped Europe's LGBTQ+ rights ranking. Here's our practical take on living and working in Barcelona as a queer couple — neighborhoods, logistics, and what daily life actually feels like.
Spain just broke Malta's decade-long hold on the top of ILGA-Europe's Rainbow Map. Here's what actually changed — and why the law on paper isn't the whole story.
Law 13/2025 updates a decade-old statute with fines up to €500,000, mandatory workplace protocols for larger companies, and LGBTI clauses written into public contracts.
Spain just took ILGA-Europe's number-one spot for LGBTI rights, ending Malta's decade-long reign. In the same month, fresh data shows assaults on Spain's LGBTQ+ community tripled in two years. The gap between law and lived experience is the story of 2026.
ILGA-Europe's 2026 Rainbow Map went live on May 12. Spain takes the top spot for the first time, ending Malta's decade-long reign — but the more telling story is how much of Europe slid backward this year.
MADO 2026 runs June 25 to July 5 in Chueca, with two million expected and the largest Pride parade on the continent. Spain has used the year to expand workplace protections and trans healthcare. The festival arrives at a confident moment.
A man accused of two violent attacks on gay men at a Mallorca beach faces attempted-homicide and grievous-bodily-harm charges with a discrimination-based aggravator. The case is one of the most serious tests of Spain's hate-crime framework this year.
Maspalomas Pride opens Spain's pride season May 1–10 in Gran Canaria — a ten-day, beach-anchored celebration that has quietly become one of Europe's biggest LGBTQ+ events.
A draft decree from Madrid would force every autonomous community to fund gender-affirming surgery, voice therapy, and mental-health support — closing the patchwork that has long forced trans Spaniards to travel for care.
A new FELGTB+ report shows hate crimes, harassment, and physical assaults against LGBTQ+ people in Spain have more than doubled since 2024 — with transgender people bearing the worst of it.
Iceland tops the Spartacus Gay Travel Index for 2026, while Poland makes a historic leap. Here's what the new rankings mean for your next trip.
Spain's new workplace equality rules require companies to actively protect LGBTQ+ employees — and businesses say implementation has been surprisingly easy.
More than 7,000 LGBTQ+ athletes and allies from 65 countries will descend on Valencia, Spain, for the world's largest inclusive sporting event. Gay Games XII runs June 27 to July 4, 2026.
