Gehitu — Asociación de Gays y Lesbianas del País Vasco

Gehitu — the name means 'to add' or 'to join' in Basque — is the principal LGBTQ+ organisation of the Basque Country, founded in 1992 and operating from the Casco Viejo as the community's main advocacy, support, and social resource. The organisation's name in Basque rather than Spanish is itself a political statement: Gehitu operates within the Basque nationalist cultural tradition and understands the LGBTQ+ struggle as intersecting with the broader political and cultural project of Basque self-determination. This does not make it unwelcoming to visitors or non-Basque members — the organisation's work is open to all — but it gives Gehitu a specific political identity that distinguishes it from equivalent organisations in other Spanish cities. The organisation runs legal advice and psychological support services, organises community events and cultural programming, and is the primary organiser of Bilbao Pride (Euskal Herria Pride). Gehitu's archive and library document the Basque LGBTQ+ movement from its post-Franco emergence to the present. For visitors to Bilbao who want to understand the specific character of the Basque gay community — its relationship with Basque nationalism, its use of the Euskara language, its distinct cultural identity — Gehitu is the essential resource. The Casco Viejo location places the organisation at the heart of both the gay scene and the old town.