months of noise Of tensions. Debates, most of the time not clearly visible. Of “noise”, as some describe it. But barring a major surprise and an unforeseen turn of events, the PSOE considers a matter settled that has dominated political news for many months. there will be trans law. In addition, it will not include the most controversial amendment introduced a posteriori by the Socialists and which had inflamed so much United We Can as well as other political groups allied to the Government and LGTBI groups.
More than the PSOE itself, who considers the matter of the trans law closed is its leadership. Also, obviously, the majority of the Government of Pedro Sanchez. The public statements made from the early hours of this Tuesday were very eloquent. The Socialists accept the parliamentary defeat they suffered on Monday in the Equality Commission. Something that was not so clear at the end of the aforementioned Commission.
The former Vice President of the Government, carmen bald, has been one of the main visible faces of the PSOE’s rejection of the law as it came out of the Council of Ministers. It also represents a sector of feminism that does not share gender self-determination either. Calvo sowed many doubts about the steps that his party would take from now on. Both when leaving Congress and shortly after in the program hour 25 left open the possibility that the amendment on the gender self-determination in minors between 14 and 16 years of age resubmitted to the plenary session of Congress. Despite the fact that no one supported her.
But Calvo is not part of the party leadership. Not even the parliamentary group. Nor, of course, from the Government since he left it a year and a half ago. Yes, she is the president of the Commission and one more deputy. Although she still exerts a strong influence on the party, especially on a symbolic level. But she was the secretary of Equality of the party leadership, Andrea Fernandez, which marked official position. “We will support the law as it has come out of the Equality Commission because it is legitimate and proper,” he told the media.
So had the Minister of the Presidency, Felix Bolanos, minutes before in a television interview. And later the PSOE spokesman in Congress, Patxi Lopez. The message was the same in all of them. A clear display of unity of action in contrast to the vagueness of Calvo hours before.
The Federal Executive Commission of the Socialists, meeting on Monday, addressed the matter. According to the sources consulted, Sánchez’s message a few weeks ago, also on the same Monday, was speed up the procedures for the law to go ahead it will happen what have to happen. The question remained as to what support the PSOE amendments would have and there was some latent tension until the votes of the Equality Commission.
Nor did Calvo want to explain in the aforementioned radio program whether he would vote against or in favor of the law on next thursday 22, date scheduled for its final approval in the plenary session of Congress. “In a week from now, a lot can happen,” he said. A few hours later, the public correction was evident. “The issue is settled,” Moncloa sources insist. There is no palpable fear in the party about the possibility of a breach of voting discipline to approve the law. “In any case, they will be individual decisions and each one will have to explain it,” say the sources consulted.
The objective now of the socialists, after certain separation with LGBTI groups, is to also assume the importance of the law. “All the laws that come out of the Council of Ministers correspond to the entire Government,” the president highlighted a few weeks ago regarding the controversy of the law “only yes is yes.” The PSOE maxim is now similar. And this was also reflected in their social networks by some relevant party officials when the opinion was approved on Monday.
To defend the socialist seal in the law, they have been in permanent contact with LGTBI groups with the aim of trying to bring positions closer and not losing the predicament that the party has with many of them. Despite the demonstrations in the streets against the role of the PSOEparty sources consulted consider that the law will end up being valued as very positive and another advance in the service sheet of socialism.
What is less clear is that the feminist associations aligned with Calvo’s theses and other figures external to the current PSOE will not stir up. The belligerence of some sectors of feminism with the law has been highly visible on social media. The Association of Socialist Feminists has already described the processing of this norm as an “unprecedented democratic anomaly”. The entity denounces that “in the elaboration and processing” of the text “democratic debate has been prevented” and that dialogue with organized feminism has been “systematically denied.” And they have announced mobilizations.
“To something else”, they stand out in the socialist direction of Ferraz on an issue that had become stuck and whose end they longed for in the party. Along the way they have also lost an activist as representative as Carla Antonelli. And those “things” that the PSOE looks at are now, if we look at the pending parliamentary procedures, matters such as the animal welfare law, the Housing law or the gag law. All of them with palpable differences between the two coalition partners.
