Generation Z, abolitionists or trans-inclusive: various profiles are demonstrating in the streets throughout Spain on International Women’s Day 

Approximately 100,000 individuals participated in various demonstrations across Spanish cities on March 8, International Women’s Day. The protestors ranged from young people acknowledging the rejection of equality advances among their peers, to inclusive feminists supporting trans women and abolitionists against prostitution. The following provides eight profiles of women who took to the streets to advocate for the significance of feminism. 

19–year–old Fine Arts student, Júlia Real, was among the 5,000 people gathered at Valencia’s San Agustín square for the city’s first 8M demonstration. She has noticed regressive attitudes among some young people, which she considers a problem. She supports including trans women in the feminist collective. Belén Cebrián, a 58–year–old company administrator and mother of three, was one of the first to arrive at the 8M march in Madrid. She experienced the scorn of losing her job due to pregnancy. She joined the Teminist March, demanding equal salaries, roles, and greater awareness, and criticizing the far–right’s attempts to suppress women’s rights. 51–year-old secondary school teacher Merche Pérez participated in the trans–inclusive demonstration in Seville. She believes in an inclusive feminism that defends social justice, which she terms as «trans–forming«. Laura Alonso, a 20-year–old Graphic Design student from Seville, participated in the historical demonstration. She identifies herself as an abolitionist of prostitution and hopes for unity within the feminist movement. 46–year-old Silvia Herrero, who works in the commercial sector, joined the 8M march in Madrid. She encourages men to don «purple glasses» to demonstrate their belief in equality. Mirta Vergaray, a 48–year–old Peruvian who resides in Madrid, attended the abolitionist march against the trans law. She argues that women are the true political subjects of the movement and that prostitution is not a job due to the lack of choice. 22–year–old Elena Herranz, studying Audiovisual Communication, attended the abolitionist demonstration in Madrid. She believes the true feminist agenda should be abolitionist as it encompasses all forms of violence against women. 42–year–old Blanca Monterrubio is a member of a group of female percussionists in Barcelona who gather every March 8 to amplify the feminist cause. She believes the movement should not be divided into different currents.