EuroPride 2025 conference brings together human rights activists in Lisbon

The conference includes sessions on inclusion of the trans community, disinformation, mental health, migration, labour rights, activism in repressive contexts, funding for pride organizations, tourism and sport. Among the topics covered on the first day, the need to guarantee safe spaces and public policies that promote equality stand out.

At the opening session, José Marquina, president of Associação Variações, said that "the rights of LGBT people are human rights" and stressed the urgency of "raising our voices, occupying spaces and demanding public policies that protect and include". According to the official, "equality cannot be a promise that is postponed, it has to be a reality that is lived".

Luís Loureiro de Amorim, deputy head of the European Commission's representation in Portugal, recalled that "five years ago, the European Commission launched its first strategy for the rights of LGBTIQ+ people" and called for public participation in defining the future strategy. Luís Amorim also stressed that "equality is fundamental to the prosperity of the European Union".

In one of the round tables dedicated to the trans community, cases of persecution and legal obstacles to gender self-determination were reported, with a particular focus on countries where gender reassignment is not recognized. Violence against women and the negative impact of social exclusion on the mental health of minorities were also discussed.

The conference in the Portuguese capital brought together activists, researchers and representatives of public institutions from various European countries.