Portugal’s Pride: LGBT in PT By Cecilia Rogers So, you’ve narrowed your search to Portugal. Whether it was the climate, the wine, the food, or the way of life, all of us in the LGBTQIA+ community have one or more boxes that we need to check, one more concern that others may not consider. Will I be safe? Will my partner and I be accepted? What are my rights? By and large, the world community does seem to be moving more toward acceptance. However, there are still countries where our way of life isn’t just not accepted, but it can be a dance with physical harm and even loss of life. Thankfully, there are counties where we can be open and honest about who we love without worrying about negative repercussions, open hate, and discrimination. Is Portugal among that group of accepting countries? Can you finally let your guard down, relax, and live your authentic life here? In short … yes! While Portugal is a Catholic country with more than 80% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic (according to the 2011 national census), most Portuguese say they live with the belief in their hearts, as only around 19 percent are attending mass or taking the sacraments regularly. The act of identifying as Roman Catholic has more to do with culture and national pride than religion. Many folks here hold to the philosophy of live and let live. According to the Spartacus Gay Travel Index (established in 2012), Portugal jumped from 27th to 2nd out of 202 countries and regions that are part of the annual study in terms of LGBT “lifestyle” and our safety, based on rights of the LGBT community within those areas.” Another entity, Eurobarometer, gathered participant responses from throughout the European Union regarding these topics over 13 years: • “Gay and lesbian people should have the same rights as heterosexual people”; • “There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex”; and • “Same-sex marriages should be allowed throughout Europe.” 38 Portugal Living Magazine
As the world community moves toward more inclusiveness, one would not be surprised to learn that, as the years have progressed, responses to the above presuppositions have become increasingly positive. More people recognize that LGBT relationships are legitimate and deserve to be treated equally to heterosexual relationships. Let’s take the responses to various online polls and consider that each new generation is a little more accepting and inclusive than the previous one. Hopefully, this increase in acceptance continues. Whither Portugal? Portugal started its path to inclusiveness sooner than some of our home countries. In fact, same-sex marriage was legalized in Portugal in May 2010 (Netherlands 2001, Belgium 2003, Spain and Canada 2005, England 2013, and United States 2015), while the common-law union in Portugal was amended to include same-sex couples back in May 2001. So, how does that affect you? If you’re thinking of immigrating to Portugal and your partner has to stay back for any reason, Portugal recognizes your right to family reunification if you can prove common-law union or marriage. Regarding family reunification, same-sex couple’s children also qualify for this immigration path. Married same-sex couples can also adopt children without discrimination. There are some areas where Portugal can improve, however, such as allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military; conversion therapy practice on minors is still legal; and commercial surrogacy for gay male couples still is not permitted. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is a group devoted to protecting LGBT rights globally (https://ilga.org/), and Portugal has a Lisbon-based chapter (https://ilgaportugal.pt). This group is the largest and oldest fighting for LGBT rights in Portugal. Unfortunately, due to the current humanitarian crisis, I could not sit down and talk with a representative from ILGA-PT in time to meet the article’s deadline. However, I felt it pertinent to share its information.
