Attitude hosts Spain’s first out trans senator at meet-up prior to PEUGEOT Attitude PRIDE Awards Europe, supported by British Airways
"We need a united front, now more than ever," Carla told Attitude
By Aaron Sugg
Carla Antonelli has arrived in the UK for today’s PEUGEOT Attitude PRIDE Awards Europe 2025, supported by British Airways in London – and last night, joined an international meet-up of trans people, gender-diverse people and advocates.
Attitude hosted an intimate reception where Carla met with prominent UK figures including India Willoughby, the UK’s first out trans newsreader, award-winning speaker and activist Jaxon Ryder Feeley, and campaigner Jude Guaitamacchi.
“It really is quite chilling” – Carla Antonelli
Antonelli, an actress turned politician, gained international attention earlier this year for a powerful speech delivered in Spanish parliament, later shared widely on Instagram. In the speech, she stated: “Trans people – we are everyone’s topic of conversation. Everyone has to have an opinion about us. If we are trans, what we are, what we are not.”
Speaking to Attitude at the event she said: “I feel empathy. Empathy for our trans siblings in the UK. Tomorrow, the same thing could happen to us. They are trying; and for now, we have our rights guaranteed. But tomorrow, if the right wing or extreme right wing get in… It’ll be exactly the same thing in Spain. So we need a united front, now more than ever.”
“I mean it really is quite chilling, like we’re fine in Spain for now, but we look upon what is happening in UK.”
Attitude’s Aaron Sugg on the atmosphere in the room
A translator interpreted my conversation with Carla – a vision in mauve – and with a nod, we raised our glasses of Prosecco and kissed on either cheek. The atmosphere in the room was quite magical, filled with warmth, community and shared purpose. It was a gathering defined by trans love. Amongst the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, you could hear a collaboration of international celebration; the sound of laughter filled through the skylit room. Stood by the bar in deep conversation, guests such as Jaxon and India were lit by the warm sunset hue. As the evening drew to a close, one thing was clear: moments like this — sharing common ground where solidarity, visibility and mutual respect transcended beyond language — are irreplaceable. With Carla and advocates alike leading the way in Spain and then UK, the path for the trans community looks united.
Reflecting on the reception, Jaxon said: “We’ve built a relationship on not a lot of conversation, but just on understanding who the other person is and what they believe in.
“Carla doesn’t speak a word of English, I don’t speak a word of Spanish – but it is complete love, complete understanding and complete acceptance.”
Jaxon added: “Everyone’s pretty exhausted – just being in a room with people who refuse to be silenced gives you that fire to keep going.”
“They are trying to wipe us out. It’s extermination by legislation” – India Willoughby
Speaking at the event, India praised Carla’s legacy and stressed the international urgency of trans rights advocacy: “Carla is a trans icon… but make no mistake: there is a real international aspect to this. That aspect is they are trying to wipe us out. It’s extermination by legislation.”
“Carla has been fantastic in Spain. She began standing up for herself as a trans soap actress in the 1990s,” she added, stressing the decade. “And now she’s setting the world afire in politics.”
Commenting on the wider cultural climate, India added: “I think we might be seeing the gender-critical movement at its peak… and they’ve overplayed their hand. People have been shocked by the arrogance of JK Rowling, smoking a big fat cigar on a super-yacht after taking away 21 years of trans legal recognition… Does that look like someone who’s a victim?”
She concluded: “Honestly? If there was a gold medal for standing up for the trans community, I think the Attitude team should get it. When I say powerful people are here today, I don’t mean they’ve got powerful jobs – I mean they’re powerful individuals. People who wear who they are with pride.”