The Government of the Generalitat began to develop in 2017, in compliance with Law 11/2014, the so-called LGBTI+ Comprehensive Care Services to guarantee the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people and to eradicate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. These services, present throughout the territory, offer information and attention to LGBTI+ people and their environments, and provide support when processing certain administrative procedures or reporting violations of rights in cases of aggression or discrimination.
This year, the Government, through the Department of Equality and Feminisms, has wanted to reinforce its commitment to this service, which is considered key for the deployment of LGBTI+ public policies. Thus, the department headed by Minister Tània Verge will allocate 13 million euros to the hiring of personnel for the SAIs throughout Catalonia during the period 2022-2025. The figure multiplies by more than five the investment allocated to the SAI Network in the 2018-2021 period.
The allocation will allow to hire at least 113 professionals with full dedication to the care of LGBTI+ people and the deployment of LGBTI+ public policies at the local and regional level. "The budgetary increase of the SAI Network reflects the commitment of this Government to the right of all people to be free to live and be as they want to be," explains Xavier Florensa Cantons, general director of LGBTI+ Public Policies.
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Currently, Catalonia has a total of 111 SAI centers distributed throughout the territory that can be located on the website igualtat.gencat.cat.
People who go to these centers will receive the necessary help to solve various problems they may encounter. From administrative procedures to complaints for having been a victim of aggression or discrimination.
One example of services is the accompaniment for processing the change of name (from the registered name to the felt name) of health cards for trans* people, both adults and minors. In addition, SAI technicians can also inform about all the resources that LGBTI+ people have at their disposal, as well as refer them to other services.
People who go to these centers will receive the necessary help to solve various problems they may encounter: from administrative procedures to complaints.One of the main supports offered by the SAIs is legal advice and psychological and psychosocial care for those who want to report cases of LGBTI-phobia. There is increasing awareness about this type of violence, which makes it more visible. This, added to an increase in the number of SAIs in recent years and the fact that they are better known, means that the number of complaints has remained similar over time. In 2021, the SAI Network registered 61 complaints of LGBTI-phobia throughout Catalonia, most of them for homophobia and transphobia.In fact, the growth and consolidation of the SAI network throughout Catalonia has consolidated this service as the main entry point for filing complaints and incidents of LGTBI-phobia. In this regard, almost half of the complaints and 55% of the incidents registered in 2021 were reported through SAI centers.
"LGBTI+ people and their families have in the SAI a fundamental point of reference, both for the direct support that this service can offer and for the information about other resources that it can facilitate or the denunciation of any aggression or discrimination due to LGBTI-phobia," states the general director of LGBTI+ Public Policies.
Most of the complaints for LGBTI-phobia last year (93.4%) were initiated by the victim, a trend that has increased in recent years (61% in 2019, and 73% in 2020). The remaining 6.6% are complaints initiated ex officio, in cases where the Administration has been aware of an alleged discriminatory act.
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