Portugal Moves Toward Anti-LGBTIQ+ Legislation
Forbidden Colours strongly condemns the approval in general terms of three anti-trans bills by the Portuguese Parliament, adopted with 151 votes in favour and 79 against. The vote, backed by the far-right party Chega and governing parties PSD and CDS-PP, sends the proposals to the Committee on Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees for further debate.
This vote marks a dangerous turning point for Portugal and raises serious concerns about the country’s commitment to fundamental rights and democratic principles.
The proposed legislation directly targets Portugal’s self-identification law (Law 38/2018), seeking to roll back the right to legal gender recognition based on self-determination. It would reintroduce medical gatekeeping, restrict access to healthcare and undermine protections for trans people—contradicting international human rights standards and scientific consensus.
One of the bills, proposed by Chega, goes even further by introducing a ban on discussing LGBTIQ+ topics in schools, mirroring the so-called “anti-propaganda” laws adopted in Hungary and Russia.
“These proposals are not isolated. They follow the exact same blueprint we have seen in Hungary and Russia: starting with trans people, then expanding to silence the entire LGBTIQ+ community,” said Rémy Bonny, Executive Director of Forbidden Colours.
“What is happening in Portugal today is deeply alarming. A country that has been seen as a leader on human rights is now taking its first steps towards institutionalising discrimination. This is how democratic backsliding begins.”
Forbidden Colours warns that the approval of these bills in principle already constitutes a breach of the principle of non-retrogression in fundamental rights. Once rights are recognised, particularly those linked to human dignity and equality, states have a clear obligation not to roll them back.
“Rolling back self-identification laws is not a technical adjustment, it is a direct attack on human dignity. It sends a message that fundamental rights are no longer guaranteed but can be taken away whenever political winds shift,” Bonny added.
“The moment these laws enter the committee stage is the moment to stop them. Portuguese lawmakers now have a clear responsibility to halt this process before it escalates further.”
“The European Union cannot afford another Hungary. If these proposals advance, it will be a test of whether the EU is willing to defend its own values.”
The organisation also highlighted that a broad coalition of Portuguese medical, psychological and academic experts has already rejected these proposals, stating they are not based on scientific evidence and would harm the well-being of trans people.
Forbidden Colours explicitly calls on members of the Committee on Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees to stop these bills at this stage and prevent them from progressing any further in the legislative process.
“We urge Portuguese lawmakers to draw a clear line now. Stop these bills in committee. Europe has already seen where this path leads and we cannot allow history to repeat itself,” Bonny concluded.
