Right-wing parties in Portugal reject UN appeal to halt gender law rollbacks

UN appeal and legislative proposals

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk sent a letter to the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, requesting that Portuguese lawmakers withdraw or amend three legislative proposals concerning gender identity. The bills, presented by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Chega, and CDS-Popular Party (CDS-PP), passed an initial general vote on 20 March 2026 and remain under review in the parliamentary Constitutional Affairs Committee. Türk stated that the measures could negatively affect the exercise of human rights established in international treaties ratified by Portugal, specifically citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The proposals would repeal provisions of a 2018 law that allows individuals of legal age to alter their name and gender marker on the civil registry without medical validation. Under the drafted amendments, legal gender recognition would require certification from both a medical doctor and a psychologist, while puberty blockers and hormone treatments would be prohibited for individuals under the age of 18.

Right-wing parties reject external intervention

Following the publication of the letter on 26 August 2026, Chega and CDS-PP rejected the United Nations communication as illegitimate interference in Portuguese legislative authority. CDS-PP parliamentary leader Paulo Núncio stated that his party would maintain its proposal intact, arguing that hormone therapies for minors represent an unacceptable violation of children's rights. Chega president André Ventura released a video address confirming that his party's text would also proceed without modifications to the upcoming parliamentary debates.

The attempt by the United Nations to impose a woke agenda on Portugal, persecuting those who think differently, of domination and interference in such a sensitive matter, cannot be acceptable to any political force.

Ventura asserted that children should not be subject to sociological or scientific experimentation, adding that United Nations bodies should direct their attention toward global childhood hunger instead. Meanwhile, the parliamentary group of the PSD, which leads the Portuguese government, declined to issue an official response to the letter.

Left-wing response and presidential petition

The United Nations review followed a formal complaint submitted by Left Bloc (BE) parliamentarian Fabian Figueiredo and Member of the European Parliament Catarina Martins. Figueiredo called on the governing PSD to disavow the proposals, stating that passing the measures would subject Portugal to international reproach for reducing legal protections for transgender citizens. Simultaneously, activists Maria João Vaz and Miguel Salazar, co-authors of a petition that collected more than 75,000 signatures opposing the bills, submitted a formal request on 26 August 2026 for an audience with Portuguese President António José Seguro.

There is an obsession by the government and right-wing parties with LGBT+ lives, intending essentially to comment, legislate and decide on our lives. Our lives are not open for discussion, they are self-determined, independent and free.

The petition authors argued that introducing mandatory medical diagnostics pathologizes gender identity and compromises fundamental protections under international law. Final debate and plenary voting on the three initiatives are scheduled to take place in the Assembly of the Republic in September 2026.