To celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Interphobia (IDAHOBIT), Professor Ana Cristina Santos – Principal Investigator of the TRACE project – was the keynote speaker of the Forum “Stopping Hate, Defending Rights, Respecting All People”, organised by the Committee on Citizenship and Gender Equality [Comissão para a Cidadania e Igualdade de Género] in Matosinhos, Portugal.

In her presentation, titled “Hate Speech and the Fragility of Democracy: Challenges to the Human Rights of LGBTI+ People”, Ana Cristina Santos raised concerns over Portugal’s drop in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map – from 5th in 2018 to 11th in 2025 – stressing that, although the country remains above the EU average, this is “not enough for those who live daily in fear of violence, discrimination, and hate.” Ana Cristina Santos emphasized the urgent need to address the neglect of older LGBTQI+ people, a group that continues to face systemic vulnerability.

Full programme: https://www.cig.gov.pt/2025/05/forum-idahot-2025-programa/

Watch the full presentation bellow (in Portuguese):