LGBTI+ hate hits record high in Catalonia

Catalonia has documented its highest number of LGBTI-phobic incidents to date, with the Observatory Against LGBTI-phobia registering 353 cases in 2025.

The annual report, published to coincide with International LGBTI+ Pride Day on June 28, confirms a decade-long upward trend, with reported incidents nearly tripling since 2015.

Surge in transphobia

While gay men remain the most targeted group, accounting for 47% of cases, transphobia has reached a record high of 36%, representing more than one in three reports.

The Observatory attributes this to "growing social resistance to trans visibility" despite new legal protections.

These incidents often take the form of institutional "misgendering." In one case in Girona, a doctor dismissed a trans patient's request to be addressed by their correct name as "silliness" before hanging up.

Another case at a civil registry office in Port de la Selva saw a staff member repeatedly address a trans woman as male, even after an explicit request for recognition.

Shift beyond public spaces

For the first time, incidents in private spaces, social media, and workplaces (56%) together outnumber those occurring on public streets (44%).

Workplace discrimination has doubled since 2021, now representing nearly 15% of all cases.

Examples range from a woman in the banking sector facing "emotional exhaustion" due to misogynistic, sexist and lesbophobic harassment from her superiors, to a trans hotel employee being targeted by a colleague for using female changing rooms.

Digital violence also reached a record high (14%). After a municipal video for Trans Visibility Day, one woman was flooded with offensive Instagram comments claiming she would "always be a man."

Homelessness

The report introduces a critical new focus on structural homelessness. LGBTI+ youth and migrants are significantly overrepresented in the homeless population due to family rejection and institutional barriers.

One case details a homeless man in a tent in Barcelona who was pursued and beaten by a group shouting homophobic insults. He feared reporting the attack because his "irregular administrative situation" made him feel legally vulnerable.

Crucially, 59% of all incidents occur during the weekend, precisely when institutional support resources are often most scarce.

Legal protections and the "third box"

The report highlights the new Catalan Law 13/2025, which strengthens sanctioning powers and requires all public documents to include a third identification box for non-binary individuals.

It also officially bans so-called "conversion therapies," regardless of the individual's consent.

Under-reporting

Despite the record numbers, the Observatory warns of significant under-reporting among minors and older people. Many victims face "emotional fatigue" or a deep distrust in the system.

One victim, struck with a pool cue and bottle at a bar, described a traumatic experience where he was placed in the same ambulance as his aggressor and later fined for disobedience by police while trying to protect himself.

The report concludes that "documenting is also protecting."

As Fina Campàs Ferrón, Vice-President of the National LGBTI+ Council, notes, the rights of LGBTI+ people remain "one of the great indicators of the democratic quality of our country."

Pride

Barcelona Pride runs from June 27 until July 19 under the theme "All Realities, One Pride."