In Portugal, the threshold to validate signatures is set at 15,120, a figure derived from the number of elected MPs multiplied by the total number of MEPs in the European Parliament.

Research shows that at least one in five LGBTI+ individuals have experienced violence related to conversion practices, which occur in various contexts such as medical, psychological, educational, and religious settings.

A European petition is currently underway to ban sexual conversion practices aimed at altering or suppressing the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of LGBTI+ individuals within the European Union.

The petition calls on the European Commission to propose a directive that classifies conversion practices as 'eurocrimes' and to amend existing equality legislation to enforce a ban on these harmful practices.

Since its launch in May 2024, the petition has garnered over 200,000 online signatures, with Portugal contributing more than 1,800 signatures and striving to surpass 15,000.

This initiative is classified as a European Citizens' Initiative, which requires over one million signatures and minimum thresholds in seven countries to prompt legislative action from the European Commission.

Countries that have met their signature targets include France with 73,000 signatures and Finland with 13,000, while Germany and Italy have collected over 22,000 and 11,000 signatures respectively but have not yet reached their required thresholds.

The United Nations has condemned these practices, equating them to acts of torture and cruel, inhumane treatment, which significantly affect mental health.

Conversion practices are characterized by mental and physical manipulation, psycho-hypnotic doctrines, medical interventions, and exorcisms intended to change one's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Organizers of the petition argue that these practices are aggressive and harmful, asserting they should not be classified as 'therapies' due to their flawed premise that sexual orientation and gender identity are choices or diseases.

Portugal has already taken steps to combat these practices by enacting a law in March 2024 that prohibits forced conversion practices, imposing penalties of up to three years in prison, which can increase to five years for irreversible medical procedures.

In addition to Portugal, several other European countries, including Malta, Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Belgium, and Cyprus, have also banned conversion practices.