Santaolalla claims photos exist of Vito Quiles kissing men

Santaolalla claims photos exist of Vito Quiles kissing men

There is an unwritten rule in Spanish journalism: when someone claims to have proof of another person's private life, the first thing to check is whether that proof exists. Sara Santaolalla, a contributor to Risto Mejide's program on Cuatro, stated live that photos circulating on the internet show Vito Quiles, a political agitator linked to the media right-wing orbit, kissing men. The reaction was immediate: from those demanding the images be published to those considering the matter a smokescreen to avoid discussing what truly matters.

What is striking is not the accusation, but the subsequent silence. Because if the photos exist, someone has them. And if they do not exist, someone is playing with fire. In either case, the episode leaves a trail of uncomfortable questions about using others' closets as political weapons.

What is known and said about the alleged photos

The origin lies in a television intervention. Santaolalla claimed there are images on the internet showing Quiles kissing men. She provided no link, screenshot, or date. Nor has there been, to the date of this discussion, any publication backing that claim with verifiable material. That is: the accusation exists, the proof does not.

This has not prevented the issue from becoming ammunition. Some argue that the character's nature—young, blonde, athletic, with constant presence in political environments where the proportion of men is overwhelming—has fueled rumors for months. Others recall that rumors are not proofs and confusing both concepts is this country's national sport.

The paradox is evident: a person presenting themselves as pogre using a political adversary's sensual orientation as a tool for attrition. If the goal was to point out others' hypocrisy, it backfired. Because the message left is that the closet remains a thrown weapon, regardless of who wields it.

The double standard: from selective tolerance to scrutiny based on party card

Here the matter ceases to be gossip and becomes a symptom. Part of the analysis argues that protection for discriminated groups is applied with political criteria: if the accused is left-wing, the closet is sacred; if right-wing, it becomes an object of mockery. The thesis holds water. One need not look far to find examples of how respect for private life is activated and deactivated depending on the tonalidad of the accused.

Against this weighs a reasonable argument: the private life of a public figure is news when it contradicts the discourse that figure sells. If someone builds their career on defending a specific family model and then turns out their real life does not fit that model, the contradiction is journalistically relevant. The problem is that this reasoning, applied without restraint, makes any closet a legitimate target.

And there lies the knot. The question is not whether Quiles is lgtb or not. The question is whether anyone has the right to decide when another must come out of the closet. The answer, however much disguised as pogre, is no.

The business of controversy: who wins when this is discussed

While people debate a commentator's sens life, issues remain off-screen. Inflation continues to erode purchasing power. Interest rates continue to strangle SMEs. Vulture funds continue buying social housing at bargain prices. And hidden cuts in healthcare remain there, waiting for someone to look away.

That is the true cost of these controversies: not the damage they may cause to a specific individual, but the time stolen from debates that actually affect people's pockets. Bread and circuses work because they entertain. And they entertain because they are free. Someone should ask who pays the bill.

The final irony is that Quiles himself, if he is lgtb and doesn't say so, has the right not to say so. And if he is not, he has the right not to be accused of being so as if it were a defect. In either case, public debate loses.

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How much longer will we keep arguing about who sleeps with whom while interest rates continue to rise?