Drag Queen Shangay Lily Heckles Spain's Mariano Rajoy Over Gay Marriage Stance
PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 05, 2010
Celebrity drag queen Miss Shangay Lily on Thursday confronted Mariano
Rajoy, the president of Spain's Partido Popular, over recent comments
he made on gay marriage, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.
At a book event, the famous drag queen rose from her seat and burst
out in protest.
“Mr. Rajoy, on behalf of the gay community, I ask you to reconsider your statements. Enough of homophobia in the PP! Stop the lying and the manipulation,” she shouted holding a sign that read “PP = homophobia.”
Shangay Lily was referring to statements Rajoy, who is vying to become
the nation's next prime minister in a contest to be held in early 2012, made
in an interview Sunday with daily El Pais.
The conservative leader told the paper that he does not like the gay
marriage law approved by Spain's socialist government in 2005. His party
filed a constitutional challenge to the law at its approval.
“I will listen very carefully to the arguments of the Constitutional Court
and the people, but I do not like the homosexual marriage act, and I do
not think it is constitutional,” he said. “My disagreement is about the use
of the word marriage.”
Shangay Lily was escorted from her seat by security and the event
continued.
Tony Poveda, president of Spain's largest gay rights advocate, the
Federacion Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales
(FELGTB), called Rajoy's words “outrageous.”
“His words are a clear example of the power in Spain of the Catholic
Church, Opus Dei, and PP's homophobia. Homophobia disguised
as liberal conservatism,” he said.
A 2008 study found that a majority (66%) of Spaniards approve of the
law. In its first three years, over 12,000 gay and lesbian marriages were celebrated.
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