On January 21, the socialist parliamentary group registered in the Congress of Deputies the proposal for the Comprehensive Law for equal treatment and non-discrimination, known as the Zerolo Law. The fact that the initiative bears that name is a great tribute to Pedro Zerolo, LGTBI activist and head of the Secretariat of Social Movements of the PSOE, since his legacy and his struggle left their mark and all his work is about to bear fruit.
This new law aims to guarantee real equality with legal tools that prohibit any type of discrimination, whether based on sex, race, religion, language, sexual identity, social class, etc. This regulation contemplates a state strategy for equal treatment and non-discrimination in different spheres. Healthcare and education must be based on respect and accessibility for everyone. In addition, the government of Pedro Sánchez intends to create an independent authority that will be responsible for protecting and guaranteeing the basic principles of this law.
Some political organizations seek to pour hatred towards certain groups in the Congress of Deputies, generating division in society and an absolutely irresponsible attitude for a healthy democracy. All those groups or people who do not comply with this regulation or generate some type of discrimination will face sanctions ranging from 150 euros, the mildest, to 500,000, in the most serious cases.
For these reasons, it is increasingly surprising to see parties that call themselves progressive voting against this great advance. It is not about seeing who gets a medal, but about working together so that citizens can enjoy a fairer country that protects the most vulnerable. I believe that this is not a time for absurd divisions, but to continue advancing so that, in a few years, citizens can recognize that they live in a fairer country. This law demonstrates this. Hatred and discrimination must be a thing of the past.
José Alfredo Mendoza, first deputy mayor and spokesperson for the PSOE in the Arrecife City Council