Portugal has long been recognized as a country that embraced equality, dignity, and human rights.
The rise of anti-trans legislation now being championed by far-right political forces represents a dangerous and deeply regressive departure from those values.
These bills are not about protecting anyone — they are about targeting transgender people and stripping LGBTQ+ communities of rights, safety, and recognition under the law.
They weaponize fear and misinformation to marginalize a vulnerable minority, turning human beings into political scapegoats for ideological gain.
Transgender people deserve the same freedoms, protections, and respect afforded to every citizen: the right to live openly, access healthcare, participate fully in society, and exist without government-sanctioned discrimination. Policies that single out LGBTQ+ people for exclusion undermine democracy itself by declaring that equality is conditional.
Portugal should be moving forward, strengthening inclusion and human rights protections — not importing the politics of division and exclusion spreading across parts of Europe and beyond.
History has shown repeatedly that when governments begin rolling back rights for one group, the foundation of freedom for everyone is weakened.
I stand in solidarity with Portugal’s LGBTQ+ community and all those resisting these discriminatory measures.
Equality is not negotiable. Human rights are not partisan. And dignity cannot be legislated away.
The sad fact is that families with transgender children moved FROM the U.S. to be safe in Portugal. Religion ruins EVERYTHING. If anything should be banned; religion should be it.
A few random thoughts from someone who considered fleeing to Portugal, but decided on Spain:
Yes, Portugal's laws are very good. However, their law enforcement is not. A law is only as good as the country's willingness and ability to enforce it. This was, for me, a big black mark on Portugal.
Portugal has recently been courting wealthy immigrants with favorable tax deals and golden visa programs, in order to bring wealth into the impoverished country. The Portuguese government didn't really share this plan with the people, who are clueless about the real reasons why so many wealthy foreigners are flocking to their country, buying expensive properties, and driving up the cost of living (including real estate prices) to the point that the native Portuguese can no longer afford it. There has therefore been a growth of anti-immigrant sentiment in a once-extremely-friendly country. And of course that can run hand-in-hand with bigotry against other segments of society that have been challenging their sense of traditional culture.
The Portuguese are somewhat backward and poorly educated, on the whole. They don't know as much about LGBTQ issues as other parts of Europe, so the population will be very vulnerable to right-wing propaganda about us. The country could turn on us very quickly, IMO. This is a very different situation from neighboring Spain, for instance, which has a very long history of societal acceptance of LGBTQ people and good laws to support us. Spain has led the EU on LGBTQ civil rights advancements in most respects.
I think you raise an important and under-appreciated point, namely that economic deterioration can promote a backlash or scapegoating against vulnerable groups like LGBT. That’s essentially what happened in the U.S. - economic inequality worsened and the economies of rural areas and the middle class got hollowed out, leading to fertile ground for an erosion of democratic norms and civil rights protections.
You're absolutely right. People tend to get along well when times are good. They are more generous and accepting of others. It's economic adversity that often has people at each other's throats.
Genuinely depressing that US is any source for this oppression.
It must become a Dem platform plank that those Social Conservatives who are engineering, funding, and carrying out the propaganda campaign and enacting the laws and policies against transgender people must face 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 18 U.S.C. § 241, & 18 U.S.C. § 242 prosecution. The worst of them should get a sentence of execution.
This is absolutely disheartening. Portugal had long been on the list of “safe” countries to migrate to. If it isn’t safe there, it isn’t safe anywhere. It does sound, though, that there are multiple further steps and procedures that the right wing will have to plow through in order to make this national policy. What other countries in Europe are at risk from this happening?
Sandra, each country tends to have its own "personality." Here in Spain, we also have a far-right party, VOX, which would like to pass these laws. The difference between Spain in Portugal, at least at this time, is that the center-right party, PP, is unwilling to caucus with the fascists. They choose, instead, to caucus with the socialists (PSOE) for a centrist coalition.
Also, more people here are familiar with trans people. For instance, Spain has a celebrity (TV/movie star) trans woman in its senate - Carla Antonelli (Carla Delgado Gómez). She is a long-time LGBTQ activist and was the first openly trans person to be elected to parliament in 2011.
Here in Spain, at least in urban environments, trans people are known and somewhat visible. If you tell someone you're trans, they hardly blink an eye. And Spaniards are proud of their acceptance and accommodation of LGBTQ people.
To address your question directly, I think this risk exists to an extent in any country, but some countries are more stable than others. There is stability from a long LGBTQ rights history. There is stability from an apolitical populace and a government that moves with glacial urgency. There is stability from high quality of life (which doesn't necessarily mean prosperity). And IMO, there is stability from a recent lived experience with fascism (that nobody wants to repeat).
IMO, the best long-term strategy in Europe is to find refuge in a country that looks the most stable, live there long enough to be naturalized as a citizen, and then enjoy the privilege of living and working anywhere within the European Economic Community. I figure there will always be someplace safe within the EU. (As a side-note, even if you have to renounce your US citizenship, birthright citizenship in the US is such that it cannot actually end, even if you "renounce" it. We can hope that SCOTUS doesn't change that.)
We are handed over as bargaining chips in an obvious handshake with the far right, just as immigrants have been. But make no mistake—this is not only about us.
Shit. Also - they were on my might escape to list. That list is getting vanishingly small.
Portugal has long been recognized as a country that embraced equality, dignity, and human rights.
The rise of anti-trans legislation now being championed by far-right political forces represents a dangerous and deeply regressive departure from those values.
These bills are not about protecting anyone — they are about targeting transgender people and stripping LGBTQ+ communities of rights, safety, and recognition under the law.
They weaponize fear and misinformation to marginalize a vulnerable minority, turning human beings into political scapegoats for ideological gain.
Transgender people deserve the same freedoms, protections, and respect afforded to every citizen: the right to live openly, access healthcare, participate fully in society, and exist without government-sanctioned discrimination. Policies that single out LGBTQ+ people for exclusion undermine democracy itself by declaring that equality is conditional.
Portugal should be moving forward, strengthening inclusion and human rights protections — not importing the politics of division and exclusion spreading across parts of Europe and beyond.
History has shown repeatedly that when governments begin rolling back rights for one group, the foundation of freedom for everyone is weakened.
I stand in solidarity with Portugal’s LGBTQ+ community and all those resisting these discriminatory measures.
Equality is not negotiable. Human rights are not partisan. And dignity cannot be legislated away.
Far right religions are a pox on the world.
Ugh. They were #11 in LGBTQ rights last year, up near some of the Nordics. That's a troubling message. https://rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org/
What madness. Stay strong one and all.
Thank you for including the Rainbow Map link. I didn't know this existed!
You're welcome. They're a good group. They'll send updates by email just a few times a year if you sign up.
Another example of how American anti-trans rhetoric and propaganda reaches beyond U.S. borders.
The sad fact is that families with transgender children moved FROM the U.S. to be safe in Portugal. Religion ruins EVERYTHING. If anything should be banned; religion should be it.
heartbreaking on every level
A few random thoughts from someone who considered fleeing to Portugal, but decided on Spain:
Yes, Portugal's laws are very good. However, their law enforcement is not. A law is only as good as the country's willingness and ability to enforce it. This was, for me, a big black mark on Portugal.
Portugal has recently been courting wealthy immigrants with favorable tax deals and golden visa programs, in order to bring wealth into the impoverished country. The Portuguese government didn't really share this plan with the people, who are clueless about the real reasons why so many wealthy foreigners are flocking to their country, buying expensive properties, and driving up the cost of living (including real estate prices) to the point that the native Portuguese can no longer afford it. There has therefore been a growth of anti-immigrant sentiment in a once-extremely-friendly country. And of course that can run hand-in-hand with bigotry against other segments of society that have been challenging their sense of traditional culture.
The Portuguese are somewhat backward and poorly educated, on the whole. They don't know as much about LGBTQ issues as other parts of Europe, so the population will be very vulnerable to right-wing propaganda about us. The country could turn on us very quickly, IMO. This is a very different situation from neighboring Spain, for instance, which has a very long history of societal acceptance of LGBTQ people and good laws to support us. Spain has led the EU on LGBTQ civil rights advancements in most respects.
I think you raise an important and under-appreciated point, namely that economic deterioration can promote a backlash or scapegoating against vulnerable groups like LGBT. That’s essentially what happened in the U.S. - economic inequality worsened and the economies of rural areas and the middle class got hollowed out, leading to fertile ground for an erosion of democratic norms and civil rights protections.
You're absolutely right. People tend to get along well when times are good. They are more generous and accepting of others. It's economic adversity that often has people at each other's throats.
Thank you for your perspective on this Sarah!
Genuinely depressing that US is any source for this oppression.
It must become a Dem platform plank that those Social Conservatives who are engineering, funding, and carrying out the propaganda campaign and enacting the laws and policies against transgender people must face 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 18 U.S.C. § 241, & 18 U.S.C. § 242 prosecution. The worst of them should get a sentence of execution.
Good on you for knowing the exact laws and policies!!
If this world ever goes to hell it’ll be riding on the back of hate like this.
I’m constantly inside the Neimöller poem.
Cis people… Fucking DO something!
Seguro will likely veto them, but I don't know if Parliament has a veto-proof scenario the way Congress in the US does.
Erin, you always seem to find a way to ruin my day, but now this? Portugal was my backup plan if I have to leave the US 😢
Mine, too.
How are they getting around the recent EU law that was passed? 🤔
This is absolutely disheartening. Portugal had long been on the list of “safe” countries to migrate to. If it isn’t safe there, it isn’t safe anywhere. It does sound, though, that there are multiple further steps and procedures that the right wing will have to plow through in order to make this national policy. What other countries in Europe are at risk from this happening?
Sandra, each country tends to have its own "personality." Here in Spain, we also have a far-right party, VOX, which would like to pass these laws. The difference between Spain in Portugal, at least at this time, is that the center-right party, PP, is unwilling to caucus with the fascists. They choose, instead, to caucus with the socialists (PSOE) for a centrist coalition.
Also, more people here are familiar with trans people. For instance, Spain has a celebrity (TV/movie star) trans woman in its senate - Carla Antonelli (Carla Delgado Gómez). She is a long-time LGBTQ activist and was the first openly trans person to be elected to parliament in 2011.
Here in Spain, at least in urban environments, trans people are known and somewhat visible. If you tell someone you're trans, they hardly blink an eye. And Spaniards are proud of their acceptance and accommodation of LGBTQ people.
To address your question directly, I think this risk exists to an extent in any country, but some countries are more stable than others. There is stability from a long LGBTQ rights history. There is stability from an apolitical populace and a government that moves with glacial urgency. There is stability from high quality of life (which doesn't necessarily mean prosperity). And IMO, there is stability from a recent lived experience with fascism (that nobody wants to repeat).
IMO, the best long-term strategy in Europe is to find refuge in a country that looks the most stable, live there long enough to be naturalized as a citizen, and then enjoy the privilege of living and working anywhere within the European Economic Community. I figure there will always be someplace safe within the EU. (As a side-note, even if you have to renounce your US citizenship, birthright citizenship in the US is such that it cannot actually end, even if you "renounce" it. We can hope that SCOTUS doesn't change that.)
Well this sucks. A reminder that "friendly" countries might not stay friendly.
We are handed over as bargaining chips in an obvious handshake with the far right, just as immigrants have been. But make no mistake—this is not only about us.
Great quote!!