European Lawmakers Warn Portugal Against Weakening Gender Identity Rights
The European Parliament LGBTIQ+ Intergroup urged Portuguese authorities not to roll back legal protections for transgender and intersex individuals in the civil registry (registo civil). Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda) MEP Catarina Martins backed the call, pointing to existing protections established under 2018 legislation. Lawmakers expressed concern that proposed revisions could weaken guarantees regarding gender self-determination.
Catarina Soares Martins (born September 7, 1973, in Porto) is a former actress and theatre co-founder who became Portugal's most prominent left-wing leader. First elected to parliament in 2009 representing the Left Bloc (BE), she rose to party coordinator in 2012 and sole national coordinator in 2014, holding the position for 11 years—the longest tenure in BE history. Under her leadership, BE achieved its best-ever result in 2015 with 19 MPs and 10% of votes, becoming critical parliamentary support for Prime Minister António Costa's Socialist government, shifting policy leftward on labour rights, pensions, and public services. After BE's collapse to 5 MPs in 2022, Martins stepped down as leader in May 2023 and left parliament.
Current role:
In 2024, she was elected to the European Parliament, where she advocates for social justice, climate action, and human rights. Her significance lies in consolidating BE as a stable parliamentary force and normalizing leftist government cooperation in Portugal.
