“They are there, lethargic, but they always want to return,” they say that Pedro Zerolo used to say in their conversations with their friends about fascism and the extreme right. That is why this Tuesday, when Donald Trump occupies the White House and the rise of ultra -right is planetary, personalities of the social sphere, the left and politics have claimed Zerolo’s “legacy” as “hope” in front of the rise of intolerance and as “reference” for new generations. These messages have been repeated during the presentation of ‘Pedro Zerolo. Life and legacy of a pioneer for civil rights’ (Books dome, 2025), by Miquel A. Fernández, which has taken place at the headquarters of the Cervantes Institute, in Madrid, when 10 years of death are about to be turned of the outstanding activist for equality and LGTBI rights.
“Pedro Zerolo is still as valid today as 20 or 30 years ago because we now have worse challenges than those of the time,” said Fernández. He also recalled how Zerolo said that “disaffection towards politics generates authoritarianisms”, something that has been proven in recent years in countries such as the US or Argentina.
Previously, the president of the Pedro Zerolo Foundation, Luisa Estévez, recalled the one who has called “legal activism” that she shared with Zerolo decades ago at the University, in the Canary Islands, and her “extensive fight for equality, dignity and justice. ” “Pedro Zerolo turned the utopias into rights,” he said, in addition to highlighting that he promulgated “the pride of claim.” He also recalled how Zerolo “suffered hatred” for his activism although “he always responded with dignity, education and humor.”
In addition, she has asked the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, present at the event, to develop the Law on Equal Treatment, the so -called ‘Zerolo Law’ promoted precisely by the former socialist leader until her death, in June 2015, and which was approved in the previous legislature by the Congress of Deputies.
The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, has assured, on the other hand, that Zerolo was “socially and politically decisive.” “Zerolo shows that political action transforms reality,” he said. He even pointed out, “he is an active politician” because “he was looking for transformation” and today that work is still pending. “Today his words and his life are still evocative,” he said, to conclude with the words of Zerolo himself: “I want a Spain, a plural, diverse, equal, secular, intercultural society, in which we all participate.”
The book, extended by the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, remembers how “Zerolo’s dream” was a society in which “all and all from the difference of each.” And to that world model that was so profiled in his mind dedicated all his efforts. Zerolo, insists Fernández, “challenged the norms of his time, as a politician and as a pioneer in the struggle for LGTBIQ+rights, equality and social justice.” Through a tour of his life, his activism in the defense of civil rights and his political commitment, the book discovers the man who transformed the reality of thousands of people. From the Presidency of the State Federation of Lesbians, Gais, Transsexuals, Bisexual, Intersexuals and more (Felgtbi+), until its crucial role in the approval of equal marriage and its tireless defense of the most vulnerable groups, Pedro Zerolo left an indelible footprint in The history of Spain,
The biographical story presented this Tuesday is a memory shared in the first person by Fernández, one of the companions of his adventure towards equality for more than twenty years. During the act he has invited himself to recognize the figure of Zerolo to “preserve the conquests”, but also to “eliminate homophobia, machismo, racism and hate speeches” of societies.
Consultant in Public Policies, Activist and Executive Director of the Pedro Zerolo Foundation, the author accumulates an outstanding career in social activism, he was general secretary of the State Federation of Lesbians, GAIS, transsexuals, bisexual, intersex and more (FELGTBI+) and first Secretary of Cesida, in addition to Lambda General Coordinator. For decades, he collaborated closely with Zerolo, promoting the re -foundation of the FELGTBI+ and the creation of the LGTBI Federal Group of the PSOE, where he led important advances in civil rights. He was also a friend and ally of Zerolo for more than 20 years, and today he dedicates his work to preserving his legacy and extending his equal activism.
Fernández has been wrapped key personalities in the fight for equality and LGTBI rights such as Beatriz Jimeno, the senator of Más Madrid Carla Antonelli or Boti García Rodrigo, in addition to Francina Armengol, president of the Congress, and Ministers Mónica García, Fernando Grande -Marlaska, Ángel Víctor Torres, Óscar López and Ana Redondo, head of Equality.
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