ARABA—Spanish Feminist group Araba Abolizionista reported that a womyn's shelter in Spain has been closed around late 2023 to early 2024. A dispute began when the provincial government, which funded the shelter, mandated that the facility must admit anyone (including biological males) who wanted access to the space and services, as long as they claimed to be womyn. The management of Casa Etxanobe maintained a female-only policy based on biological sex. They argued that the shelter was a specialized space designed specifically to provide protection and advocacy for female people who had experienced male violence, and that introducing biological males (regardless of their legal gender status) would compromise the safety and healing environment for the female residents.
The Diputación Foral de Bizkaia argued back that the shelter was violating regional and national equality laws (specifically the "Trans Law" passed in Spain in 2023). Under these laws, any service meant for female people must also be provided to any male person who requests it. Any rejection of such requests would be considered a form of discrimination.
After a period of tension and public protests, the provincial government decided to terminate its contract with the association managing Etxanobe. The government cited a "breach of contract" and non-compliance with equality legislation. In early 2024, the government moved to reclaim the building. The feminist activists managing the space resisted the eviction, leading to a standoff that drew international attention from a wide variety feminist organizations.
Feedback on social media criticizes the decision citing that these actions punish survivors of domestic violence be removing a critical service from the community, and could increase the difficulty for womyn to escape domestic violence.
The shelter was ultimately dismantled. The government’s intent was to reopen the space under new management that would adhere to the inclusive gender identity mandates required by Spanish law. But more criticisms took center of the conversation, saying that victims will simply self-exclude, since they wouldn't have the option to enter a safe environment either way. A statement released by Araba Abolizionista was released, and reads; "We wish to denounce and condemn the attempts to cancel and boycott the activities of Nuria Varela at the Women's House. This is once again, an attempt to silence a woman—in this case, one of the Feminists with the longest tenured in this country.
These are cancellation attempts by transactivists who have again used the creed of non-existent hate crimes to impose their narrative.
Threats from transactivists groups to create an intimidating atmosphere outside the Women's House facilities caused the speaker to refuse to accept a setting of intimidation. Consequently, the activity was moved to an online format. We are concerned that institutions have not sought to prevent such intimidation, or to guarantee that it would not affect the development of the scheduled activity.
Different organizations, including our own, focused on combating sexist violence, were able to participate in the activity modified to an online format, although under pressure and resisting the aggression of the protest outside the Women's House. As a result of the intimidation, a woman was expelled from the public space. Expelling women from the public is one of the defining characteristics of patriarchy.
Achieving the right of women to be able to access public spaces, and to stop being confined to the private sphere is one of the most important tenants and achievements of Feminism. We want to highlight the gravity of attempting to censor a political position—Feminism—which has managed, through peaceful struggle, to substantially and radically improve the lives of women and children. It is especially grave that there has been an attempt to prevent citizens from exercising their constitutionally recognized right to freedom of expression and thought.
These rights allow citizens to know and decide which political positions they can defend and which they can demand to be developed in society. When they censor Feminists, they do not only censor us; they censor all of society, removing their right to make their own decisions. It seems that those who have opted to censor this cultural act forget that the goal of democracy is to be able to express oneself and decide with total freedom, (not for some people to decide for others in an authoritarian manner) what they can know, and whom they should or should not listen to.
