On the occasion of International LGTBI Pride Day, tomorrow, June 28, the exhibition hall at the Andalusian Youth Institution (IAJ), Almeria, hosts the exhibition 'Diverse Identities.' In collaboration with the Diputacion de Almeria, Familias por la Diversidad, and Colega Almeria, the exhibition 'Diverse Identities' showcases many references from the trans community in fields like culture, politics, science, and literature.
Rosa Maldonado Aguilera, the IAJ's provincial advisor on program, inaugurated the exhibition yesterday. Carmen Belen Lopez Zapata, the provincial deputy for Equality and Family was also present. Francisco Javier Ruano, the secretary at Colega Almeria and Francisco Ferre Alonso, the president of Families for Diversity were also present. Emilio Ortiz, the territorial delegate for Employment, Training, Self-Employment, Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowledge and Universities, was also present.
Rosa Maldonado stressed the importance of this type of initiative, "as a result of worrying data from the Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia Observatory: In 2021 there was an 8 percent increase in hate speech and attacks towards these groups and nearly 40% of the victims were younger than 30 years. This means we must continue to work for the education of young people, mainly in order to combat this kind of situation." She reported that approximately 200 youth health mediators from the province were trained in transversal sexuality and respect for diversity in 12 workshops within the Forma Joven program.
Francisco Ferre, the president of Families for Diversity explained that the panels that comprise the sample contain data about the activism of those who are referents to the transsexual group they appear in, their origins, and their contributions to the fight for collective freedoms. He stated that the society should have more respect for the group because of the number of references it has.
The IAJ's provincial headquarters can be visited from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 8th. It features 10 panels that gather graphic and textual information on transsexuals in the film, music, drama, writing, science, or sports worlds.