Parents of trans students regret Marcelo vetoes diploma on gender identity in schools

An association representing the interests of parents of transgender children expressed regret on Tuesday that the President of the Republic vetoed a diploma concerning gender self-determination in schools, a decision which they said only protects those in charge of education.

“This is a little contrary to what should be its justification, since it does not protect ourselves, that is, children and young people, but those who are responsible for education,” says the president of the Association of Fathers and Mothers for Freedom of Sexual Orientation and Identity. gender (BROAD).

On Monday, the President of the Republic vetoed a parliamentary resolution establishing the measures that schools must take to implement the law establishing self-determination of gender identity and expression.

In response to this decision and after reading Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s justification, António Vale told Lusa that he could not agree with this and believed that this result “will only create more ‘stress’ that is not necessary for children and young people” .

In one of the arguments set out in a letter addressed to the Assembly of the Republic, the head of state states that “the decree suffers from the almost complete absence of the role of parents, guardians, legal representatives and the associations formed by them.”

“From the experience that we have at AMPLOS, and it is extensive, all processes of gender self-determination in schools have always been supported by families,” emphasized António Vale.

While acknowledging that the diploma also protected children and young people who did not have the support of their parents, the president of AMPLOS argues that, overall, “it involved monitoring, which is what has always been done.”

Antonio Valle also commented on criticism from representatives of school principals and parent associations who complained that they were not heard in the legislative process, recalling that the educational community had already been heard in 2017 through a law that established the right to self-determination of gender identity and gender expression.

The 2018 law stipulates that the government must take the necessary administrative measures within 180 days to ensure the promotion of the right to self-determination of gender identity and gender expression, as well as the right to protection of women’s sexual characteristics. People.

“This law will introduce administrative procedures, and this was very important for schools, which complained that they did not know how to proceed and often turned to AMPLOS for help,” said the association president.

“We don’t know what the constitution of the Assembly of the Republic will be, we don’t know whether it will be favorable or unfavorable, but this is an issue that needs to be raised again in the next legislature because it has been pending since 2018,” he added.