Julia Manzanares Ribeiro, Secretary of Equality and LGBTI of the Municipal Group of the PSOE of Torrevieja, has issued comment and opinion on the state of Pride celebrations in Torrevieja, echoing the opinion that this year’s LGTBIQ+ Pride celebrations in Torrevieja, or more to the point the lack of, have left some with a sense of disillusionment, as what was once a bold statement of protest and visibility now seems to be managed as a mere procedural formality.
And, whereas the LGTBIQ+ community are all too aware that the support of the town’s mayor, Eduardo Dolon, never stretches beyond empty promises in the run up to the elections, a man not usually shy of the cameras, and who recently attended the literal opening of a handbag, yet is never present in the minimal events that Torrevieja now shows in support of the community, the community is once again seeing the reality of how little Torrevieja council actually think of them. As if last year wasn’t clear enough, with the permission of a Vox rally being given, meaning the LGTBIQ+ event being abandoned for fear of the safety of those taking part, faced off by the far-right opposers, this is still seemingly the legacy from the previously homophobic mayor, Pedro Hernández Mateo, whose offensive comments against a popular Spanish singer, Miguel Bosé, resulting in the cancelation of a concert, saw national coverage, remembering that he, now a convicted criminal, was the mentor of the now mayor, Dolon.
Fast forward back to today, and Manzanares Ribeiro points out that the most striking controversy emerged over the official Pride manifesto. The local group Asociación Torrevieja Diversa withdrew from the event after the Town Hall refused to include language calling for increased resources for equality policies—not just from the national government, but also from the Generalitat Valenciana. The disagreement didn’t stop there; the group was also excluded from helping to shape the official programming and the institutional slogan. While Torrevieja Diversa had suggested “Intolerance is not therapy, freedom is,” the final slogan chosen was the more generic “Love has no gender.”
This lack of inclusion reflects a broader trend: that Pride in Torrevieja is being reduced to a token celebration—an event to tick off the municipal calendar—rather than a meaningful platform for advocacy, visibility and change. The event held along the Paseo Vistalegre lacked any visible symbols, banners, information points or speeches. To the casual observer, it may have appeared no different from any other summer party.
Such omissions speak volumes. Pride, born out of resistance and struggle, now risks losing its political and social edge. And this isn’t unique to Torrevieja; it’s a shift seen in many places. What was once a powerful demand for rights and recognition is increasingly diluted into a symbolic gesture, stripped of its urgency and intent.
For many in the local LGTBIQ+ community—especially young people who remain politically engaged and expect more from their institutions—this performative approach falls far short. They are not looking for light shows or DJ booths, but for real commitment: safe spaces, inclusive policies, educational initiatives, and cultural programming that reflects the community’s history and diversity.
True Pride is not just about celebration. It is about remembering what has been fought for, acknowledging what remains to be done, and committing to real progress. When institutions simply go through the motions, people notice. But when events are rooted in respect, solidarity and purpose, the difference is unmistakable—and deeply felt.
Aside from the true meaning of Pride, it is also perhaps worth mentioning that these events carry significant financial rewards. For Dolon, who also seems intent on killing off the traditional tourist attractions in Torrevieja, such as the May Fair, the Medieval Markets, and the like, in favour of music fiestas that attract a younger crowd, and always over exaggerating the financial value to the local economy of those events, the so-called Pink Pound is worth in the region of 6 billion pound in the UK alone, in the more recent report, some 350 billion dollars in America.
Look to the island of Gran Canaria, where some kind of Pride is celebrated almost weekly (that too is an actual exaggeration, but they are frequent), and look at the revenue those events bring in all year round. Actual real revenue on accomodation, food, local businesses, travel, rather than the music festivals where, generally, people bring their own food and drink, sleep on the site or in their cars, and, at best, do the occasional shop at the big (mostly French in this area) supermarkets, not the local economy.
By maintaining this stance of ticking a box, Torrevieja is missing out on a considerable share of that revenue, something which Benidorm, and even Alicante, both, coincidentally, also led by mayors from the same Partido Popular party as Torrevieja, and even Santa Pola, again with a PP lead, dedicating beach space to Pride, and yet, for Torrevieja, Pride is not in either in the name of love, nor money.
