Parliament on Friday approved the PS, PAN, Livre and BE bills on the protection of the rights of transgender and homosexual people, which will be sent to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees for discussion.
The BE bill recommending strengthening the protection of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sexual characteristics received favorable votes from PS, PSD, BE, PAN and Livre, while Chega and PCP abstained.
Socialist deputies Marcos Perestrelo, Sérgio Sousa Pinto, Filipe Neto Brandão, Susana Correia, Bruno Aragão and Cláudia Santos also voted against.
Also approved was the blockade bill which was intended to strengthen the guarantee of the exercise of the right to self-determination of gender identity, gender expression and the right to protect sexual characteristics in schools.
The factions of the PS, PCP, BE, PAN and Livre expressed their support, while the PSD and Chega voted against. The Liberal Initiative and Socialist deputies Marcos Perestrelo and Sérgio Sousa Pintos abstained.
Livre’s bill, which seeks to ban and criminalize “conversion practices”, was approved by PS, PSD, Liberal Initiative, BE, PAN and Livre.
With no votes against, Chega, PCP and Socialist deputies Marcos Perestrelo, Sérgio Sousa Pinto, Filipe Neto Brandão, Susana Correia, Bruno Aragão and Cláudia Santos abstained.
Also approved was the PS bill that establishes the framework for issuing the administrative measures that schools must take in order to implement the law establishing the right to self-determination of gender identity and gender expression and the right to protection of sexual characteristics.
The socialists’ bill received votes for the PS, Liberaal Initiatief, PCP, BE, PAN and Livre. PS deputies Marcos Perestrelo and Sérgio Sousa Pinto abstained from voting. PSD and Chega voted against.
The PAN bill that provides for the criminalization of practices aimed at changing, limiting or suppressing sexual orientation, gender identity or expression was approved by the PS, PSD, Liberal Initiative, BE, PAN and Livre. Enough, PCP and Socialist deputies Marcos Perestrelo, Sérgio Sousa Pinto, Filipe Neto Brandão, Susana Correia, Bruno Aragão and Cláudia Santos abstained.
In turn, Chega’s text – approved only by his parliamentary group – which recommended strengthening the protection and privacy of children and young people in intimate spaces in the school context, was rejected with votes against by PS, PCP, BE, PAN and Liberal Initiative . PSD and Liberal Initiative abstained.
The PS bill that prohibits offensive practices against LGBT+ people through so-called “sexual conversion therapies” received the favorable votes of PS, PSD, Liberal Initiative, BE, PAN and Livre.
Without registering any votes against, Chega, PCP and Socialist deputies Marcos Perestrelo, Sérgio Sousa Pinto, Filipe Neto Brandão, Susana Correia, Bruno Aragão and Cláudia Santos abstained.
On Wednesday, all parties except Chega shared a consensus to protect the human rights of transgender and homosexual people, calling for the practice of forced conversion to sexual orientation to be banned and criminalised.
Source: DN
