“Las Carolinas” Protest in Barcelona

Decades before Pride parades, Spain saw its own flash of queer resistance in the form of “Las Carolinas”, a 1931 demonstration in Barcelona led by a group of trans women and gender nonconforming people.

The protest was sparked when local authorities began cracking down on public gatherings and arresting those who violated strict morality laws. The group — nicknamed “Las Carolinas” by the press — marched in feminine clothing, defying gender norms and directly confronting police harassment.

In broad daylight, they demanded the right to live and work without persecution. While police eventually dispersed the demonstration, it was covered in newspapers, forcing the city to publicly acknowledge queer and trans existence. “Las Carolinas” is one of the earliest recorded LGBTQ+ protests in the world. Taking place during the brief liberal period of Spain’s Second Republic, it foreshadowed later struggles under Franco’s dictatorship, where queer life was driven back underground.

Despite media mockery at the time, the name “Las Carolinas” has since been reclaimed as a badge of honor by Spanish LGBTQ+ historians. Courage doesn’t always come wrapped in rainbows. Sometimes it comes in heels on cobblestone streets, telling the world, “We’re here, and you will see us.” That’s a kind of bravery worth smiling about.

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