Naranjo Honored for Her International Fight for Gay Rights

She may be known for her larger-than-life persona and voice, but Monica Naranjo is being touted for her exceptional fight for gay rights.

The 37-year-old Spanish singer, who has sold more than eight million albums worldwide, received the Maguey Prize over the weekend at Mexico’s Guadalajara International Film Festival for her work on behalf of the gay community.

Monica Naranjo

Hypocrisy still prevents people in many places from accepting public displays of love by same-sex couples, says the “Desátame singer.

“The path is a bit more open now in Spain, but there is still a lot of hypocrisy, it is still not viewed well to have homosexuals walking down the street with their partner,” says Naranjo.

In addition, the singer says The Spanish government has an “outstanding debt” with the gay community and needs to allow single people to adopt children, according to the singer.

Naranjo dedicated the prize to those who have been fighting “for decades” for gay rights.

The Guadalajara International Film Festival is screening a selection of gay and lesbian films.

Naranjo received the prize after performing in the last show of her 1950s-themed “Madame Noir” tour, which ran for a year and ended Sunday night at the Telmex Auditorium in Guadalajara, the capital of the western Mexican state of Jalisco.