I feel incredibly lucky to say that overall, Madrid is a great place to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Gay marriage was legalized in Spain in 2005, 11 years before it was legalized in the U.S. in 2015. Gay people can adopt and donate blood without added restrictions, conversion therapy is nationally illegal and trans people can change their legal gender relatively easily. Overall, the country is supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, and I feel very comfortable being out and proud in Spain. Madrid, as a large metropolitan city, has a huge LGBTQ+ community centered around the neighborhood Chueca, which is in the north of Madrid near the city center.
Although the LGBTQ+ community is widely accepted in Spain, especially among young people, Spain has recently experienced a resurgence in the far-right movement. Some far-right political parties are pushing for a decrease in LGBTQ+ rights, including overturning gay marriage and transgender rights.
