Portugal is really making history today - this law will make Portugal only the second country worldwide to outlaw medically unnecessary treatments on intersex kids.” said Katrin Hugendubel, ILGA-Europe’s Advocacy Director, in reaction to the vote.

The law was supported by members of parliament this afternoon, following two years of very hard work by LGBTI activists in Portugal.

As a result, when this law comes into effect:

People will be able to change their legal gender through a procedure based on self-determination. This means that the law finally recognises and respects that trans people themselves know best who they are and how they identify.
Trans people will no longer need to be diagnosed with gender identity disorder in order to have their gender legally recognised.
Young people aged 16 and older will be able to access this procedure.
It will become illegal to perform unnecessary surgery on intersex children.

Portugal joins its European neighbours (Malta, Norway, Denmark, Ireland and Belgium) in opting for a model based on self-determination. Encouraging as it is that the number of countries who opt for this model is growing, there are still too few and more governments need to show leadership here. Read more via ILGA