Salou: an open, plural, diverse and inclusive city where love will never be a crime

Salou. Costa Dorada. 28 June 2025. The City Council of Salou has reiterated its firm commitment to diversity during the commemorative act of the International Day for LGBTI+ Pride that took place on Friday, June 27, 2025. The Councilor for Equality of the City Council, Júlia Gómez, recalled that:

• Salou has an LGBTI Policy Plan in force until 2026
• is LGBTI Friendly city since 2022
• It is a member of IGLTA (International Association of LGTBI+ Tourism)
• It has hosted the first Meeting of Several Families of Catalonia, and in autumn it will celebrate the Retiro Orlander
• In addition to working to obtain the Queer Destinations certification
• It has a municipal SAI (Integrated Care Service), aimed at LGBTI people, which has assisted 137 people since 2019

The councilor, during her speech, also said that "the voice must be raised for equality, diversity and respect for human rights" and, referring to the fact that Salou is the Capital of Catalan Culture 2025, recalled that "our festivals, traditions and public spaces must be a symbol of inclusion and not exclusion."

Gómez and the president of the Diversity Salou association, José María Gómez, have read the commemorative Manifest, adapted to the reality of the municipality, and the mayor of Salou, Pere Granados, has closed the turn of parliaments, who has emphasized the need to remove hate speech from the municipality, since "there are complicated and difficult times for political parties opposed to inclusion and diversity."

Granados said that in this situation "we have to face up and in Salou we will not take a step back." On the contrary, he recalled that Salou is a safe municipality for the LGBTI collective and for diverse families and "we work to position Salou as a benchmark municipality" with the unanimous support of companies in the tourism sector.

The mayor ended by saying that in “Salou everyone is respected” and that “we want a free and respectful Salou, and that people love because love must prevail over anything else and in Salou love will never be a crime”, to end with a “Long live Salou and live love”.

Then a commemorative plaque has been discovered that defines Salou as an "open, plural, diverse and inclusive city" and the multicolored flag symbolizing the LGBTI movement has been hoisted. Then, students of the Ahura theater school have recitated texts and poems and, later, the entire entourage has moved to Colón street, where one of the pedestrian crossings with the LGBTI colors that can be found in Salou has been painted.

The event ended at the Ibense ice cream parlor, to taste the “Love without conditions” ice cream that Raquel Vilaplana has prepared.

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