Between 2020 and 2022, ILGA received 469 reports of anti-LGBTQ incidents.

Between 2020 and 2022, ILGA Portugal’s Observatory on Discrimination against LGBTI+ People received 469 complaints, more than half of which involved hate incidents, but less than a quarter resulted in formal complaints.

The findings are contained in the latest report from the Observatory on Discrimination against LGBTI+ People (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex), which Lusa had access to and which “demonstrates the transversality, scope and negative impact of prejudice in society.” lives.”

Due to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, ILGA Portugal decided to combine the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 into one document, highlighting that during this period the association’s services “provided thousands of consultations and accompanied hundreds of people, including minors, in cases of domestic violence , loss of income, evictions, violence and looting, among others.”

The 469 complaints received by the Observatory through a confidential and anonymous questionnaire are divided into 118 complaints relating to 2020, 233 to 2021 and a further 118 registered in 2022.

In a conversation with Lusa, the president of ILGA Portugal emphasized that 2021 has seen a “surge in complaints,” justifying this fact by saying that people have become “more stabilized and more able to file complaints” after a year marked by successive restrictions, and also by the fact that it was a year “highly marked by online violence.”

“There have been reports of online hate speech, online hate crimes and, unfortunately, the usual reports of physical attacks,” said Ana Aresta.

Street and online spaces are highlighted when trying to find out where discrimination has occurred, and an assessment of the history of locations over the past five years shows an “increase in cases occurring on the street” and a “significant proportion” of cases in the “online” context.

Ana Aresta stressed that “public incidents of hatred are starting to occur more and more often (…) public incidents of hatred,” citing as an example a situation where a group of people interrupted the presentation of a children’s book about equality and inclusion, and said that, in her opinion, this is reflected in the data in the following report.

“Unfortunately, the legitimization of hatred is present in the social context, and at the moment we have anti-democratic parties created and sitting in the Assembly of the Republic. [cujo] the mode of operation is undemocratic. Soon this violates any rules and ethical principles, and part of the population feels justified in inciting hatred,” he said.

However, regarding the surge in complaints recorded in 2021, the ILGA President stated that it coincides “with a surge in requests for support” for the services provided by the association, namely psychological support, which has seen an increase in the number of people assisted. by 60%. , which demonstrates that “2020 and 2021 have been particularly difficult years for LGBT people.”

Ana Aresta emphasized that the context of the pandemic has mainly affected young people, primarily due to isolation and how it has forced many people “to return to unsafe conditions (…) with potential aggressors”, leading to “a peak of severe stress and great suffering.”

Looking at the statistics, more than a quarter of those affected (26.6%) are under the age of 24, despite the fact that the most represented age group is 25 to 34 years old, accounting for 30% of complaints. .

Victim profiles primarily include cis men (identifying with the gender they were born with) (about 40%) and gay men (52.8%).

The aggressor in most situations is unknown to the victim (31%), while the proportion of cases in which the aggressor is someone close to the victim (parents, siblings or spouse) is “lower than in previous years.”

There were primarily insults and threats (verbal or written), as well as discrimination in access to goods and services, discrimination in health care, acts of “intimidation,” police abuse, or attempts at physical aggression.

The seven reported cases of domestic violence involved physical violence, stalking, incarceration, and one case of sexual violence.

Of the nearly 500 cases reported to ILGA, only 18.5% resulted in a formal complaint to the competent authorities, many of which were caused by a lack of knowledge, as well as fear and mistrust of authorities.

The ILGA President also stated that the state is taking responsibility for collecting and processing this type of data, doing so in a more systematic manner and creating reporting mechanisms that allow anti-LGBT hate crimes to be more widely perceived.