Marco Aurelio Pérez: “San Bartolomé de Tirajana takes another step on the path that we already started years ago with this group that has total integration in our municipality”
Yilenia Vega, Councilor for Celebrations and Events: “The opening of Punto Arcoíris could not have any location other than the Yumbo Shopping Center as it is the first GayFriendly shopping center in the world”
Ruyman Cardoso, Councilor for Citizen Participation: “This center will serve as a safe place for the group, providing essential services such as personal guidance, psychological support and legal advice”
The Department of Citizen Participation and the area of Tourism, Celebrations and Events of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana city council have joined forces to grant LGTBIQ+ associations a venue that will host the so-called 'Rainbow Point', a community center that will serve to promote inclusion and the well-being of said community. This space will be a focal point for activities, services and support for LGTBIQ+ people in the region.
The inauguration of the Rainbow Point was led by the mayor of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana city council, Marco Aurelio Pérez; the Councilor for Tourism, Celebrations and Events, Yilenia Vega; the Councilor for Citizen Participation, Ruyman Cardoso; and coordinator of the center, Fano Hernández.
As explained by the Councilor for Citizen Participation, Ruyman Cardoso, this center “will serve as a safe place for the LGTBIQ+ community, providing essential services such as personal guidance, psychological support and legal advice. In addition, it will be a meeting point and community development, offering resources and direct services, as well as promoting solidarity and collaboration between the associations involved such as El Observatorio INAP LGTBIQ+, Checkpoint Canarias, GLAY, Amigos contra el Sida, FREEDOM, Club LGTBI Bikers from the Canary Islands, and Crisalis Canarias.
For her part, the Councilor for Tourism, Celebrations and Events, Yilenia Vega, highlighted that for the LGTBIQ+ community, Maspalomas Costa Canaria has become one of their favorite vacation destinations, making it the first GayFriendly destination in Europe. Annually, she continued the mayor, “we receive more than half a million tourists who contribute more than 600 million euros in turnover. It should be added that according to data from the Gran Canaria Tourist Board, businesspeople and the LGTBIQ+ community itself, this segment of visitors represents more than 15% of the island's total tourism business. For this reason, Vega continued, “the opening of Punto Arcoíris could not have any location other than the Yumbo Shopping Center given that this is the first GayFriendly shopping center in the world, it has more than 200 specialized establishments and is a meeting place and reference point for this community.”
The mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez, indicated that San Bartolomé de Tirajana takes, with this opening, “one more step on the path that we already started years ago with this group, always welcome, and that has total integration in our municipality.”
For his part, Fano Hernández, head of the recently inaugurated Rainbow Point, thanked the institutional collaboration with the group and especially for addressing “this historical demand of the groups involved in achieving this meeting center.” Hernández pointed out that this Rainbow Point “a significant milestone in the history of our community not only because it is in the heart of the Yumbo Shopping Center, a place that is not only a meeting center, but a symbol of our unity and diversity, and a reflection of the welcoming and vibrant spirit of Gran Canaria.”
Hernández indicated that the new space is more than a place, it is a place, it is a temple where all the associations will work collaboratively to meet all the needs of all those people in the group who may need to resolve any legal or socio-health query. . As they noted in the statement read after the presentation, “it is a beacon of love and acceptance, a place where everyone can find refuge and support. For more than 40 years, Yumbo has been a symbol of love and community, attracting people from all over the world. Today, we reinforce this legacy and continue to move forward together with hope and determination.”
Also present at the event were the British Vice Consul in Las Palmas, Jackie Stevenson; the general director of Diversity of the Government of the Canary Islands, Celso Mendoza; the general director of Social Services of the Government of the Canary Islands, Elisabeth Hernández.
