At issue is the bill approved on the 15th in parliament and which defines the measures to be adopted by schools to guarantee the right of children and young people to self-determination of gender identity and the protection of their sexual characteristics.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of AMPLOS, António Vale, revealed that the association was received this week at the Presidency of the Republic, where it had the opportunity to speak about the subject.

Name changes

“Not all school directors respect the law that has been in force since 2018 and refuse, for example, to recognize students’ name changes”, warned António Vale.

The new diploma provides that schools must define “communication and detection channels”, identifying a person or persons responsible “to whom the situation of children and young people who express a gender identity or expression that does not correspond to the sex assigned at birth can be communicated.”

The school must also, in conjunction with parents, guardians or legal representatives, promote the assessment of the situation, ensure support and monitoring and identify organizational needs and possible forms of action.


“Toilet diploma”

The diploma, which was dubbed by Chega as the “toilet diploma”, also aims to ensure that all students have access to bathrooms, a point that has generated controversy, with criticism from the Large Families Association and associations representing parents. and school directors, among others.

In response to the criticism, the president of AMPLOS and the psychologist of the association that monitors and supports several families, Ana Silva, recall stories of trans and intersex children and young people who are verbally or physically attacked when they try to use the bathrooms or changing rooms.

Lusa spoke to families who revealed that their children spend the entire day without going to the bathroom and that the solution found by some of these children is “not to drink liquids”.

“Schools must be safe places to train citizens. Acts of intolerance are aggressions that only serve to keep children and young people away from schools”, warned the president of AMPLOS.

The association's psychologist adds that absenteeism and school dropout rates are higher among these children: “Life in schools is so difficult that they leave as soon as they can”, warned Ana Silva, explaining that leaving school early ends up compromising their entire life, their educational path and future professional life.

Families and associations therefore ask for the promulgation of the diploma, stressing that it will only guarantee “human rights” and that, in schools, the victims continue to be this minority.