Ernesto Gasco

Ernesto Gasco
Gasco in December 2013
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 2008–2009
Personal details
Born	(1963-07-24) 24 July 1963 (age 61) San Sebastián, Spain
Political party	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
Alma mater	Autonomous University of Madrid

Ernesto José Gasco Gonzalo (born 24 July 1963)^[1] is a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) politician.

He was a councillor in San Sebastián from 1995 to 2020, and a member of the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2009. He was the first openly gay member of the Congress of Deputies. He and his husband Iñigo Alonso were the first elected politicians in Spain to enter a same-sex civil partnership and later marriage.

Early and personal life

Born in San Sebastián in the Basque Country, Gasco graduated in geography from the Autonomous University of Madrid.^[2]

In October 2003, Gasco was one of the first two elected Spanish politicians to enter a same-sex civil partnership with another one, alongside Iñigo Alonso, a councillor for the same party in Lasarte-Oria. The ceremony was officiated by Odón Elorza, the mayor of San Sebastián.^[3] In September 2005, Gasco and Alonso were the first same-sex couple of office-holders in Spain to be married, again by Elorza.^[4]

Political career

Gasco was first elected onto San Sebastián's city council in 1995, serving government roles as his party governed under Elorza until 2011.^[5] In 2015, his party returned to local government and he was put in charge of business, hospitality and tourism; he called for attracting French tourists to the border city and expanding into health tourism.^[1]

Gasco was elected to the Congress of Deputies in 2008, the first openly gay member of the legislature.^[6] In April 2009, he announced his resignation to be Deputy Minister of Transport in the Basque Government under regional president Patxi López.^[7]

In January 2020, Gasco resigned from San Sebastián city council to return to national politics, as High Commissioner against Child Poverty in the second government of Pedro Sánchez.^[5]

See also

• List of LGBT politicians in Spain

References

1. Mendiola, Jorge F. (11 July 2015). "Ernesto Gasco (Concejal de Impulso Económico, Comercio, Hostelería y Turismo): "Tenemos que mimar al cliente francés y explorar la vía del turismo sanitario"" [Ernesto Gasco (Councillor for Economic Promotion, Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism): "We have to pamper the French client and explore the path of health tourism"]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
2. Ormazabal, Mikel (28 May 2011). "Gasco releva a Elorza sin garantías de concitar acuerdos con PNV y PP". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
3. "Se celebra en San Sebastián la primera boda gay entre dos concejales socialistas" [First gay wedding between two Socialist councillors is celebrated in San Sebastián]. ABC (in Spanish). 3 October 2003. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
4. "Dos ediles del PSE protagonizan en San Sebastián la primera boda gay entre dos políticos españoles" [Two PSE councillors take part in the first gay wedding of Spanish politicians in San Sebastián]. El Mundo (in Spanish). EFE. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
5. "Ernesto Gasco, nuevo Alto Comisionado contra la pobreza infantil" [Ernesto Gasco, new High Commissioner against Child Poverty] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
6. "En Madrid, trabajo hasta de noche" [In Madrid, working until nighttime]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 11 March 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
7. Munguía, Aingeru (25 April 2009). "Ernesto Gasco será el nuevo viceconsejero de Transportes del Gobierno Vasco" [Ernesto Gasco will be the Basque Government's new Deputy Minister of Transport]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.