Portugal advances three sweeping bills targeting trans rights
The LGBTI+ Community In Lisbon Celebrates 26th Pride Parade on 7 June, 2025 (Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
On 20 March, Portugal’s parliament voted to advance three sweeping bills that would significantly roll back transgender rights, marking a sharp shift for a country long seen as a European leader on gender identity protections.
Backed by the centre-right governing coalition and far-right lawmakers, the proposals would ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, require adults to obtain permission from a medical team before changing their name or sex marker on civil documents, and limit discussion of “gender ideology” in schools for under 18s, as per Erin In The Morning.
Critics of the measures say they echo recent policies seen in the United States targeting trans people. The bills passed their first reading by a wide margin and now move forward in the legislative process.
If enacted, the changes would effectively dismantle key parts of Portugal’s 2018 protections, reintroducing requirements that treat being transgender as a medical condition and removing broad anti-discrimination safeguards.
LGBTQ+ organisations, including ILGA-Europe and TGEU, have warned that the proposals represent a “serious attack” on the rights, dignity, and safety of trans people, and could see Portugal fall in European equality rankings.
Protests have already taken place outside the Assembleia da República in Lisbon, where activists read a manifesto declaring the vote as part of a broader erosion of civil rights.
While the bills still face committee review and a final vote—and could ultimately be vetoed or challenged in court—their advancement signals a major political shift in the country.
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