Walk This Way

Spain's parliament ruled on Feb. 27 that transsexuals can choose their official gender, but that's not the only sign that Spaniards take the idea of sexual equality further than most. Two days later, crosswalk signals in Fuenlabrada, south of Madrid, suddenly donned skirts. In an effort to promote "equality in traffic safety," the town has begun installing lights that flash up alternate male and female figures; metal signs are also being amended. "[Old] traffic signals leave half the population invisible," says local police chief José Francisco Cano.

The inspiration for change came from the city of Lugo, which...