Sitges LGBTQ+ history

History
Written By OG Cubbie
A lively street scene at night, packed with people socialising outside bars. Six-colour Pride and Bear Pride flags hang overhead. The street is illuminated by lights from the venues, creating a festival atmosphere.

Bear Alley

Standing near the pink triangle monument last September, watching bears from around the world walk along the seafront, I couldn't help but think about the courage of LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters who came before us. That small memorial, inscribed with "Sitges against homophobia. Never again," tells a story of resistance that every LGBTQ+ person should know, especially those of us heading there for Bear Week. This isn't just another pretty Mediterranean town that happens to welcome gay tourists. Sitges endured as a refuge when being queer could cost everything.

When an artist created a sanctuary

The story begins in the 1890s with Santiago Rusiñol, a Catalan painter who turned 2 fishermen's houses into his studio, Cau Ferrat, and opened his doors to Europe's bohemian elite. Between 1892 and 1899, his Festes Modernistes brought together artists, writers, and intellectuals, creating what would become a vital refuge for those living outside society's narrow definitions of "acceptable" love and identity.

This tradition of artistic sanctuary continued into the early decades of the 20th century. As historian Brandon Jones documents, "His Bohemian, homo and bi friends joined him," and over the years, many renowned figures found refuge here, including Sergei Diaghilev, the famous ballet impresario, and his lover, Vaslav Nijinsky. Later visitors included Federico García Lorca, who was involved with Salvador Dalí.

What Rusiñol began as an artistic community evolved into something precious: a place where queer artists could exist authentically when the rest of the world demanded they hide. By 1930, this tradition of tolerance had taken root in unexpected ways—Playa del Hombre Muerto (Dead Man's Beach) began welcoming gay men, with some claiming it as the world's first gay beach. The first gay-friendly establishments did not appear until decades later, but the foundations of acceptance had been quietly established.

Surviving the darkness

Then came Franco. From 1939 to 1975, Franco's dictatorship systematically persecuted homosexuals. In 1954, an amendment to the Ley de Vagos y Maleantes (Law of Vagrants and Hooligans) targeted homosexuals as "dangerous social elements," leading to around 5,000 detentions nationwide. Gay men were sent to concentration camps, subjected to electric shocks, lobotomies, and forced labour in places like the Colonia Agrícola Penitenciaria de Tefía.

But somehow, Sitges held on. According to historian Brandon Jones, prominent Barcelona families would send their gay sons to nearby Sitges to be "out of the public eye," taking advantage of the town's proximity to the capital while enjoying greater freedom. The first gay-friendly establishments began appearing in the late 1950s. Juan Tarrida opened El Comodín in 1957. People would hold hands and dance together, although they were always alert in case the police came. In 1958, Gonçal Sobrer, an openly gay artist and hotelier, took over the Hotel Romàntic, making it the first hotel run by a gay person that welcomed homosexual guests.

The town's artistic heritage provided cover. Its bohemian reputation offered protection. Sitges didn't just survive Franco—it kept LGBTQ+ people alive in the darkness.

Choosing hope over hate

Franco's death in 1975 brought political freedom, but social change would prove more complex. By the 1990s, the growing visibility of gay tourists during summer seasons had begun to create tension with some parts of the local population.

In 1996, policing of beaches at night, specifically targeting gay men, sparked public outcry. In September, a waiter at the gay bar Parrots was violently assaulted. When LGBTQ+ organisations organised a protest march in October, a vocal minority threw eggs at the demonstrators.

Those events sparked a transformation. A decade later, on 5 October 2006, Sitges unveiled Spain's first LGBTQ+ monument: a bright, inverted pink triangle overlooking the sea with the inscription "Sitges against homophobia. Never again." The monument wasn't just an apology—it was recognition that Sitges' identity was inseparable from its LGBTQ+ community.

Why this history matters

Today, Sitges celebrates its LGBTQ+ community with annual Pride events and international festivals. Sitges Bear Week attracts over 10,000 visitors and generates €12 million annually.

Luis Ramirez founded Bears Sitges in 2001, starting with small meetings at El Horno bar. Now it's one of Europe's most important bear gatherings. Events like Bear Week continue what Rusiñol started: creating spaces where we can exist fully, authentically, without apology.

Sitges didn't become Europe's bear capital by accident. It became that because people fought for it, preserved it, and built something lasting from very small beginnings.

When you visit, take a moment to stand at the pink triangle monument. Remember that every laugh shared, every connection made, every moment of joy exists because people before us refused to let the community disappear.

The Pride flag flying over those ancient streets marks the end of a long journey from Santiago Rusiñol's bohemian refuge to today's open celebration.

Sources

OG Cubbie http://cubbieandco.shop
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