The ILGA Portugal association warned today that there is a “serious risk” of regression in the rights of LGBTI people, despite the fact that Portugal has risen to the ‘top 10’ on the Rainbow Map, thanks to the ban on conversion practices.
Today marks the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and ILGA Europe (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Intervention) took the opportunity to release the latest data from its annual report that classifies and analyzes the legal and political situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex (LGBTI) people in 49 European countries.
In this assessment, Portugal rose one point to 10th place, “in a European context of stagnation” in the rights of these people, and the report “continues to show that the legal protection of LGBTI+ people is a fundamental step towards guaranteeing their rights and a powerful tool for combating the increase in hate speech and hate crimes, which are growing all over Europe”.
Although Portugal has improved its position in this ‘ranking’, mainly thanks to the approval of the ban on conversion practices, ILGA Portugal warns that “the country has seen a 185% increase in hate speech on social networks and an increase in attacks and invasions of LGBTI+ events and venues by ultraconservative extremist groups”.
“We take a positive view of Portugal’s rise in the ‘Rainbow Map’ ranking, but (…) today’s political scenario is different and, with the growth of the extreme right in parliament, there is a serious risk that we will see a regression in the rights of LGBTI+ people,” ILGA Portugal said in a statement.
For the association, the increase in hate speech is “a consequence of the legitimization and normalization of violence and harassment caused by the growth of anti-democratic forces in institutions”, which has resulted in “several recent attacks on LGBTI+ people”.
ILGA argues that it is necessary to “stop the impunity of these acts of violence”, considering that “human rights are not debatable and are not ideologies”.
The association points out that, for Portugal, ILGA Europe recommends the inclusion of sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression and sexual characteristics in the Constitution, the introduction of asylum policies that specifically protect LGBTI+ people, especially migrants, and the legal guarantee of non-binary gender.
ILGA points out that this report “identifies a Europe divided on the protection of LGBTI+ rights”, at the same time as “far-right movements and parties intensify the instrumentalization of LGBTI+ people to mobilize their electorate and polarize society”.
On the other hand, it points out that no country has so far implemented effective mechanisms to monitor the ban on medical interventions on intersex minors, and there are also “none that comply with all the recommendations for guaranteeing the bodily integrity and autonomy of intersex people”.