New Spanish Cabinet Includes Two Gay Ministers
In a first for heavily Catholic Spain, not one but two of the country’s 17 newly appointed cabinet ministers are openly gay. King Felipe VI on Thursday presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the new government of Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez, which included Fernando Grande Marlaska, who became Spain’s new interior minister, and Maxim Huerta, who became the new minister of culture and sports.
The swearing-in was also historic for gender equality in Spain and around the world. Of the 17 newly appointed ministers, 11, or roughly two-thirds, are women. That also means that less than a quarter of Spain’s cabinet members are heterosexual men, another first that is not likely to be repeated anywhere in the world for quite some time to come.
The new ministers were appointed at the discretion of Spain’s new prime minster, Pedro Sánchez, whose official title is President of the Government. Sánchez and his Socialist Party-led coalition swept into power late last week in a stunning series of events that resulted in the prime minister of the past six and a half years being ousted over allegations of corruption within his party.
The last time Spain’s Socialist Party held power, the Parliament quickly legalized same-sex marriage despite strong opposition from the widely venerated Catholic Church, making Spain only the third country at the time, 2005, to allow legally recognized same-sex nuptials nationwide.
https://www.advocate.com/world/2018/6/08/new-spanish-cabinet-includes-two-gay-ministers