LGBT groups officially received by Spanish King and Queen for the first time

PinkNews logo with white background and rainbow corners

The newly enthroned King and Queen of Spain have received representatives of the LGBT community for the first time.

Highlighting that the groups’ work “deserves to be better known and acknowledged,” King Felipe and Queen Letizia officially received representatives of Spain’s State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals (SFLGTB), and the Triangle Foundation.

Boti Garcia, president of the SFLGTB and Jose Maria Nunez-Blanco, president of Triangle, were received at the El Pardo palace on Tuesday, alongside representatives of 350 other NGOs and charities working on social issues.

Garcia said she was surprised to have been invited, saying: “We have asked more than once for meetings with the vice president of the government and he’s never even answered.”

“We felt that our message had been listened to and understood, ” Garcia continued.

Queen Sofia, the predecessor of Queen Letizia, publicly declared herself opposed to same-sex marriage in 2008.