The research project aims to develop a national study on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex peole and people with other non-cisgender and non-heterosexual identities (LGBTI+) and on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (OIEC).It includes three components: i) a review of national and international literature to understand the phenomenon of discrimination on the basis of SOGIESC; ii) an analysis of the situation of discrimination on the basis of SOGIESC and the needs of LGBTI+ people in Portuguese society today, based on interviews and focus groups with associations and structures representing and/or working with LGBTI+ people, as well as data provided by the services for LGBTI+ victims of domestic and gender-based violence; and iii) an analysis of the national legal framework on "hate crime" and "hate speech" in light of the recommendations of the Council of Europe, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The research project includes the formulation of the main conclusions and recommendations on the subjects covered, in order to support public policies directed at the LGBTI+ population.    

In Portugal, studies about sex work clients are rare and studies specifically on travestis clients simply do not exist. This contributes to the invisibility of these clients. Almost nothing is known about who resorts to travestis’ sexual services: Who are they? Which motivations drive their sexual interest? Which characteristics can be found in their commercial relations with travestis sex workers? How do they self-refer to their sexuality? And how do they deal with social stigma resulting from their behaviour (resource to prostitution and sexual interest in travestis)?This investigation aims to know and characterize (i) clients of travestis sex workers; (ii) personal strategies used to manage the stigmatized identity; and (iii) practices developed with travestis prostitutes in street or apartment contexts.Due to difficulties in locating, approaching and contacting this group of clients - self-nominated t-lovers - it will be necessary, at first, to develop an digital ethnography, namely on websites that aim to promote travestis sexual services and on discussion forums where t-lovers exchange experiences and obtain diverse information; and, secondly, to apply an online questionnaire in one of the forums, in order to obtain data to help characterize this population. This exploratory study will be the first, in Portugal, about clients of travestis sex workers.