The previous call included an allocation of 161,000 euros to fund in-person support services, advice on rights, awareness-raising activities and social participation projects. Its removal has caused concern among organisations representing the community.
FEWER RESOURCES TO SUPPORT LGTBI PEOPLE IN ARAGON
Somos president Juan Diego Ramos warns that “financial uncertainty” could lead to “fewer support hours, difficulties in retaining professional teams, the interruption of activities and a reduced ability to respond to situations of discrimination”. The association fears that weakening these services could leave people who need specialised support without sufficient assistance.
The concern is particularly significant in rural Aragon, where “distances, the lower availability of specialised services and fear of losing confidentiality can make it difficult to seek support”. Somos insists that everyone must be able to “receive support regardless of their municipality of residence” and calls for funding to bring these services closer to the region’s counties, in collaboration with town councils and social services.
The organisation also warns of the consequences for people facing multiple discrimination, including LGTBI migrants, trans people experiencing difficulties in the workplace, older people living alone and people with HIV facing stigma. These groups are joined by adolescents and young people experiencing family rejection or bullying. Somos equality officer Leticia Ojeda argues that equality policies need “stable services, prevention, training and support for victims”.
SOMOS DEMANDS THE RESTORATION OF FUNDING AND GUARANTEES OF CONTINUITY
The association recalls that Aragon’s laws on equality and protection against discrimination establish obligations for public administrations. Specifically, it points out that Law 18/2018 requires active policies to integrate LGTBI people, while Law 4/2018 provides for support for the associative movement and guarantees information and counselling services for trans and non-binary people. Somos considers that removing specific funding without offering sufficient alternatives “could undermine the effective fulfilment of these mandates”.
In response to this situation, the organisation is calling on the Aragon government to restore a specific funding line for LGTBI people and their families, with sufficient and stable resources throughout 2026 and 2027. It is also asking for any possible financial alternatives to be published, along with their amounts, deadlines and requirements, and for the reasons behind the removal of this funding to be made public. In addition, it is calling for a meeting with Aragon’s LGTBI organisations to agree on solutions and establish monitoring mechanisms.
Somos insists that the protection of rights cannot depend on changes to grant calls and is calling for a public response guaranteeing the continuity of services. The organisation will continue to press its demands before the competent institutions and recalls that “rights recognised by law need funding, support and institutional commitment”. Its aim, it stresses, is to “ensure that no one in Aragon is left without support because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression”.
