Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in Belgium are seen as some of the most progressive in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and in the world. In 2021,
ILGA-Europe
ILGA-Europe is the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. It is an advocacy group promoting the interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, at the European level. I ...
ranked Belgium as second in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
for LGBT rights protection, behind
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
Same-sex sexual activity was legalised in 1795, with an equal
age of consent
The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim ...
, except from 1965 until 1985. After granting same-sex couples
domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal relationship, usually between couples, who live together and share a common domestic life, but are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive benefits that guarantee r ...
benefits in 2000,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
became the second country in the world to legalise
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
in 2003.
Same-sex adoption
Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children by same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child ( stepchild adoption).
Joint adoption by same-sex cou ...
was fully legalised in 2006 under the same terms and conditions as heterosexual adoption, and lesbian couples can access
IVF
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) f ...
as well. Protections from discrimination based on
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
in employment, housing, and public and private accommodations were enacted in 2003 and on
gender identity
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...
and expression in 2014. Transgender people have been allowed to change their legal gender since 2007, though under certain restrictions which were repealed in 2018.
Belgium has frequently been referred to as one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world, with recent polls indicating that a majority of Belgians support same-sex marriage and adoption rights. The previous
Prime Minister of Belgium
german: Premierminister von Belgien
, insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
, insigniasize = 100px
, insigniacaption = Coat of arms
, insigniaalt =
, flag = Government ...
,
Elio Di Rupo
Elio Di Rupo (; born 18 July 1951) is a Belgian politician who has served as the minister-president of Wallonia since 2019. He is affiliated with the Socialist Party (Belgium), Socialist Party. Di Rupo previously served as the prime minister of ...
, is an openly gay man, and was one of the few heads of government in the world to identify as LGBT (he was not head of state, the King of Belgium is the head of state).
Pascal Smet
Pascal Smet (born 30 July 1967) is a Belgian politician, member of Vooruit.
Personal life
He was born in 1967 in Beveren-Waas. He earned a degree in Law at the University of Antwerp. He is openly gay.
Career
He was a member of the town counc ...
, the former Flemish Minister of Education and current Brussels Minister of Mobility, is also openly gay. With the appointment of
Petra De Sutter as Minister of Civil Service in 2020, Belgium is one of the first countries in the world to have an openly transgender woman as a government minister.
Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
Prior to 1795, the modern borders of the
Kingdom of Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...
existed mostly within the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
and was divided between the
Austrian Netherlands
The Austrian Netherlands nl, Oostenrijkse Nederlanden; french: Pays-Bas Autrichiens; german: Österreichische Niederlande; la, Belgium Austriacum. was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The p ...
, the
Duchy of Bouillon
The Duchy of Bouillon (french: Duché de Bouillon) was a duchy comprising Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium.
The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. ...
, and the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège
The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial State, Imperial Estate, so the List of ...
, along with the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...
and the
Republic of the Seven United Netherlands
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
.
Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1795 (when the country was a French possession).
[State-sponsored Homophobia A world survey of laws prohibiting same sex activity between consenting adults](_blank)
Article 372 of the Penal Code sets the age of consent to 16, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender. This was briefly increased to 18 for same-sex sexual activity between 1965 and 1985 by the addition and later repeal of article 372bis to the Penal Code. It was inserted by an amendment of MP to the law of 8 April 1965 on youth protection.
[Wetsvoorstel tot opheffing van de artikelen 372bis en 377, derde lid, van het Strafwetboek]
Senate When the Walloon Socialist Party's lack of support brought international attention to an alleged employment discrimination case of
Eliane Morissens
Eliane Morissens (10 August 1927 – 9 December 2006) was a Belgian teacher and activist. Raised as a feminist, she was active as a trade unionist and socialist. Morissens studied to become a chemical engineer, but was employed as a teacher, a ...
, a lesbian teacher, the
Flemish Socialist Party introduced a bill to eliminate the law. Submitted in June 1982 by MP
Luc Van den Bossche
Luc Van den Bossche (born 16 September 1947, in Aalst) is a Belgian socialist politician and father of Freya Van den Bossche.
He graduated as a Doctor in law at the University of Ghent in 1970. Luc Van den Bossche was a Member of Parliament fo ...
, the repeal was approved by the Chamber of Representatives on 13 May 1983. The Senate eventually concurred in June 1985; article 372bis was thus repealed by the law of 18 June 1985.
Recognition of same-sex relationships
Belgium became the second country to allow
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
s in 2003 (after the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
). Same-sex couples have the same rights as opposite-sex couples.
The
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
bishops of the
Belgian bishops conference published on 20 September 2022 a
liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
document for the blessing of same-sex unions.
Adoption and family planning
Same-sex couples have had the same rights as opposite-sex couples in
adopting
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...
children since 2006. Additionally, lesbian couples can access
in vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) ...
.
A legal inequality compared to heterosexual couples still existed with regards to children: the husband of the biological mother was automatically legally recognised as the father (by article 135 of the Civil Code), but this was not the case in a same-sex couple for the wife of the mother. To be recognised as the co-mother, she had to complete an adoption procedure. This accounted for the large majority of adoption cases in Belgium. The
Di Rupo Government
The Di Rupo Government was the federal cabinet of Belgium sworn in on 6 December 2011, after a record-breaking 541 days of negotiations following the June 2010 elections. The government included social democrats (sp.a/ PS), Christian democrats ...
promised to fix this, and in 2014, as the Netherlands recently passed similar legislation, LGBT organisations pressured the government about their promise. Subsequently, legislators worked to agree on a solution. A bill fixing this inequality was approved by the Senate on 3 April 2014 on a 48–2 vote (with one abstention), and by the Chamber of Representatives on 23 April on a 114–10 vote (with one abstention). The bill received royal assent on 5 May and went into effect on 1 January 2015.
Generally, adoption law is regulated at the federal level, whereas the adoption procedure is managed by the community governments. Between 2006 and 2014, 56 male same-sex couples and two female same-sex couples had domestically adopted a child in the
Flemish Community
The Flemish Community ( nl, Vlaamse Gemeenschap ; french: Communauté flamande ; german: Flämische Gemeinschaft ) is one of the three institutional communities of Belgium, established by the Belgian constitution and having legal responsibilitie ...
(
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
). In the same period, 12 children were domestically adopted in the
French Community
The French Community (1958–1960; french: Communauté française) was the constitutional organization set up in 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which ...
, giving a total of 70 LGBT domestic adoptions in Belgium in that period.
Discrimination protections and hate crimes
The anti-discrimination law of 25 February 2003 included discrimination protections on the basis of sex and sexual orientation. The law was replaced by a similar law in 2007, known as the ''Anti Discrimination Law 2007'' ( nl, Wet ter bestrijding van bepaalde vormen van discriminatie; french: Loi tendant à lutter contre certaines formes de discrimination; german: Gesetz zür Bekämpfung bestimmter Formen von Diskriminierung). The 2003 and 2007 anti-discrimination laws also establish penalty enhancements for
crimes motivated by hate on the basis of, among others, sex and sexual orientation.
On 29 November 2013, the
Federal Government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
approved an expansion of the anti-discrimination law to include gender identity and gender expression. It was approved by the Federal Parliament and received
royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 22 May 2014.
On 22 December 2014, the jury of the
court of assizes
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordanc ...
of
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
found four people guilty of the
murder of Ihsane Jarfi, motivated by homophobia. It was the first case in Belgium in which a crime was officially qualified as being motivated by hate on the basis of sexual orientation.
In May 2018, the
Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism
Unia or the Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities (Dutch language, Dutch: , French language, French: :fr:Unia_(institution), Unia (institution) ''Centre pour l'égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme'' ) is an independent public ...
reported it had processed 125 cases of homophobic discrimination in 2018, a 38% increase over the past five years. This included 17 physical attacks, 42 public homophobic insults, 17 housing discrimination cases, and 31 online attacks. A study, published in May 2019 and commissioned by Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities Bianca Debaets, found that 90% of LGBT people in Brussels had been the victim of verbal or psychological harassment, with a third stating that had been physically assaulted.
Conversion therapy practices
In November 2022, the cabinet of the Belgian government passed a proposal to legally ban conversion therapy practices within Belgium. The bill was introduced and is yet to pass Parliament.
Transgender rights
The ''Law of 10 May 2007 on transsexuality'' ( nl, Wet van 10 mei 2007 betreffende de transseksualiteit; french: Loi du 10 mai 2007 relative à la transsexualité; german: Gesetz vom 10. Mai 2007 über die Transsexualität) grants Belgians the right to change their legal gender. Prior to this, a gender change was only possible through a court judgment. Between 2002 and 2012, there was a yearly average of 31 men and 14 women who officially changed their legal gender, with an increase after the 2007 law came into in effect. Conditions included that the person has a "constant and irreversible inner conviction to belong to the sex opposite to that mentioned in the birth certificate" and that "the physical body is adapted to the opposite sex as far as possible and justified from a medical point of view", meaning applicants were required to undergo
sterilisation and
sex reassignment surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
.
Plans to amend the law to remove these requirements were announced by the
Michel Government The Michel Governments were various Belgian federal governments led by Prime Minister Charles Michel:
* Michel I Government (2014–2018)
* Michel II Government
The Michel II Government was the Federal Government of Belgium, led by Prime Mini ...
in 2015, passed by the Chamber of Representatives (and signed by King
Philippe) in 2017, and took effect on 1 January 2018. Shortly after the law took effect in January 2018, LGBT rights organisations challenged it before the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
of Belgium, arguing that the binary choice (male or female) and the ability of changing one's sex only once remain discriminatory. In June 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law is unconstitutional and must therefore be amended. Currently, it is only possible to change gender on the identity card from male to female or vice versa, but according to the court, persons who are
non-binary
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
are excluded from this rule. The court held that an "
X" sex option should be available. The Constitutional Court has asked the
Belgian Federal Parliament
The Federal Parliament is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: Chambre des Représentants, german: Abgeordnetenkammer) and the Senate (Dutch: , french: Sénat, german: Senat). It sit ...
to work on an arrangement that complies with the ruling, whether through the "creation of one or more additional categories" or the removal of gender from compulsory registration. The
De Croo Government
The De Croo Government is the incumbent Federal Government of Belgium, led by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo since 1 October 2020.
History
The creation of the De Croo Government occurred on 1 October 2020, 494 days after the 2019 Belgian fed ...
has agreed to amend the current law. Their 2020 coalition agreement states that "legislation will be amended in accordance with the ruling of the Constitutional Court. The further implications of that will be investigated."
In order to change
legal sex
Legal gender, or legal sex, is a sex or gender that is recognized under the law. Biological sex, sex reassignment therapy, sex reassignment and gender identity are used to determine legal gender. The details vary by jurisdiction.
History
In E ...
, an adult person has to file an application with a statement that their legal sex is not corresponding with their gender identity. No surgery or other medical or psychological treatment or opinion is required. After filing an application, the applying person will be informed about the legal consequences of a requested change. The applicant has to renew their intent to have their legal sex changed within three months of application and to declare that they are aware of the legal consequences of a change. Minors between 12 and 16 have the possibility to change their first name, but not sex. Minors aged 16 and 17 have the possibility to apply for a sex change with parental consent and a psychological opinion confirming that their decision has been taken freely and without any outside pressure.
According to the National Register, 727 transgender Belgians changed their legal gender under the new law in 2018.
Many Belgian hospitals, the
Ghent University Hospital
Ghent University Hospital ( nl, Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent; UZ Gent) is one of the largest hospitals in Belgium. It is closely linked to Ghent University, the university's rector also being the hospital's president. Both the university and the ho ...
(UZ Gent) among them, are known for their specialisation in
sex reassignment surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
. Many French transgender people go there due to a lack of accepting hospitals in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Intersex rights
Intersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...
infants in Belgium may undergo
medical interventions to have their sex characteristics altered. Human rights groups increasingly consider these surgeries unnecessary and, they argue, should only be performed if the applicant consents to the operation. In February 2019, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended Belgium to ban these surgeries and provide intersex infants and their parents counseling and support.
The first intersex organization in Flanders, , was officially registered in August 2019.
Military service
LGBT people are free to serve openly in the
Belgian Armed Forces
The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became indepen ...
.
Health and blood donation
In Belgium, as in many other countries,
men who have sex with men
Men who have sex with men (MSM) are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex. The term was created in the 1990s by epidemiology, epidemiologists to study the spread of disease among all men who have sex with men, r ...
(MSM) were previously not allowed to donate blood. In 2017, the blanket ban was repealed and replaced with a one-year deferral period.
In 2016, Health Minister
Maggie De Block
Maggie Celine Louise De Block (, born 28 April 1962) is a Belgian politician of the who has been chairing her party's group in the Chamber of Representatives since 2020.
De Block served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health in the governm ...
promised to re-evaluate the law using the newest scientific discoveries. In November 2016, she announced the ban would be amended in 2017, making it possible for gay and bisexual men to donate blood after a year of abstinence from sex. Regulations to this effect were approved on 28 April 2017 by the Council of Ministers.
In June 2019, the Flemish Red Cross announced it was banning transgender people from donating blood in Flanders. Following consultations with health and LGBT groups, it reversed course and lifted the ban on 30 September 2019. Transgender people can donate subject to a three-month deferral period after starting hormonal therapy and a 4-month deferral period after having sex with a new partner or a 12-month deferral after the last sexual encounter with people considered to be of high-risk of having
STDs, such as
swingers and MSM.
In 2019, LGBT groups, financed by the Flemish Ministry of Health, launched an LGBT suicide prevention project called ''lumi.be'', and a specific transgender suicide prevention website called ''gendervonk.be''.
Living conditions
LGBT people are generally well socially accepted in Belgium. There is a strong gay community, with numerous gay clubs, bars, venues and events. A 2006 European Union member poll showed that 62% of Belgians supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the whole of Europe. The 2015
Eurobarometer
Eurobarometer is a series of public opinion surveys conducted regularly on behalf of the European Commission and other EU Institutions since 1973. These surveys address a wide variety of topical issues relating to the European Union throughout i ...
found that 77% of Belgians thought that same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, 20% were against.
The 2019 Eurobarometer showed that 84% of Belgians believed gay and bisexual people should enjoy the same rights as heterosexual people, and 82% supported same-sex marriage.
Politics
![Antwerp Pride 2018-08-11 154118](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Antwerp_Pride_2018-08-11_154118.jpg)
LGBT rights are supported by the main political parties. When voting on the same-sex marriage bill, the
Flemish Liberals and Democrats
french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts
, abbreviation = Open Vld
, logo =
, leader1_title = President
, leader1_name = Egbert Lachaert
, foundation = 1992 (VLD)2007 (Open Vld)
, predecessor = P ...
(VLD), the
Christian People's Party (CVP/CD&V), the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
(PS), the
Socialist Party Differently (sp.a),
Ecolo
Ecolo, officially Écologistes Confédérés pour l'organisation de luttes originales'', (English: Confederate Ecologists for the Organisation of Original Struggles)'' is a French-speaking political party in Belgium based on green politics. The ...
,
Agalev
Groen (English: Green; nl, Groen, ), founded as Agalev (see Name below), is a green Flemish political party in Belgium. Its French-speaking equivalent is Ecolo; the two parties maintain close relations with each other.
Party history
Before ...
and the
People's Union voted generally in favour except for several abstentions, whereas the
Flemish Block
''Vlaams Blok'' ( en, Flemish Block, or VB) was the name of a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform.Erk, 2005, pp. 493-502. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence ...
and the
National Front voted against, the
Christian Social Party (CSP/cdH) voted against with several abstentions and the
Reformist Movement
The Reformist Movement (french: Mouvement Réformateur, MR) is a liberal French-speaking political party in Belgium. MR is traditionally a conservative-liberal party, but it also contains social-liberal factions.
The party is in coalition as pa ...
(MR) voted dividedly. The right-wing
Flemish Interest
, ideology =
, predecessor = Vlaams Blok
, position =
, europarl = Identity and Democracy
, european = Identity and Democracy Party
, youth_wing = Vlaams Belang Jongeren
, colours =
, ...
(''Vlaams Belang'', formerly Flemish Block) was opposed to same-sex marriage and LGBT rights more broadly, but has softened its stance in recent years. In 2015, party leader
Tom Van Grieken
Tom Jozef Irène Van Grieken (born 7 October 1986) is a Belgian politician and author who has served as leader of Vlaams Belang since October 2014.
Early life
Van Grieken was born in Antwerp and later moved to Mortsel where he served as a muni ...
said the party would not campaign to repeal same-sex marriage. Member of the Flemish Parliament
Filip Dewinter
Philip Michel Frans "Filip" Dewinter (born 11 September 1962) is a Belgian politician. He is one of the leading members of Vlaams Belang, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and secessionist political party. Together with Hugo Coveliers of the VLOT ...
told the newspaper ''De Standaard'' in 2014 that the party would now approve of same-sex marriage.
Several politicians are openly gay, two notable examples being the former
Prime Minister of Belgium
german: Premierminister von Belgien
, insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
, insigniasize = 100px
, insigniacaption = Coat of arms
, insigniaalt =
, flag = Government ...
,
Elio Di Rupo
Elio Di Rupo (; born 18 July 1951) is a Belgian politician who has served as the minister-president of Wallonia since 2019. He is affiliated with the Socialist Party (Belgium), Socialist Party. Di Rupo previously served as the prime minister of ...
(
PS) and the former Flemish Minister for Education (in the
Peeters II Government
The Peeters II Government (''Regering-Peeters II'') was the Flemish Government formed following the 2009 Flemish Parliament election. The cabinet consisted of a coalition of the Christian democratic CD&V, the social democratic sp.a and the natio ...
),
Pascal Smet
Pascal Smet (born 30 July 1967) is a Belgian politician, member of Vooruit.
Personal life
He was born in 1967 in Beveren-Waas. He earned a degree in Law at the University of Antwerp. He is openly gay.
Career
He was a member of the town counc ...
(
sp.a
Vooruit (Dutch for Forward, ) is a Flemish social democratic political party in Belgium. The party was known as the Flemish Socialist Party (1978–2001: ''Socialistische Partij'', SP; 2001–2021: ''Socialistische Partij Anders'', SP.A) until 2 ...
). LGBT members of the
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural communi ...
include, among others,
Piet De Bruyn (
N-VA
The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU).
T ...
),
Lorin Parys (N-VA) and
Wellen
Wellen (; li, Wille) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2018, Wellen had a total population of 7,402. The total area is 26.72 km², giving a population density of 266 inhabitants per km2.
The municip ...
Mayor
Els Robeyns (sp.a).
On 2 April 2014, the Flemish Parliament approved 96–0 (with 15 abstentions) a resolution introduced by MP
Piet De Bruyn (N-VA) and supported by all political parties except
Flemish Interest
, ideology =
, predecessor = Vlaams Blok
, position =
, europarl = Identity and Democracy
, european = Identity and Democracy Party
, youth_wing = Vlaams Belang Jongeren
, colours =
, ...
, calling for the government to take measures to support and advance the acceptance of transgender people in society.
In the
2014 European Parliament election
The 2014 European Parliament election was held in the European Union, from 22 to 25 May 2014.
It was the 8th parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979, and the first in which the European political parties fielded candid ...
,
UZ Gent gynaecologist
Petra De Sutter was second on the
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
of
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
candidates, marking it the first time a Belgian transgender person was a candidate for the EU Parliament. De Sutter has served as a member of the Belgian Senate since June 2014, and joined the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
for the
European Green Party
The European Green Party (EGP), also referred to as European Greens, is the European political party that represents national parties from across Europe who share Green values. The European Greens works closely with the Greens–European Fre ...
after the
2019 elections. She left the European Parliament in 2020, and was sworn in as Minister of Civil Service in October of that year.
Following the 2014 European Parliament elections, the
New Flemish Alliance
The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU).
T ...
(N-VA) was criticized for joining the
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti- federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...
parliamentary group, which contains several right-wing homophobic parties. However, N-VA asserted they would vote in favour of LGBT rights, and argued that this was an opportunity to change opinions of other parties in that group.
In 2019,
Dominiek Spinnewyn-Sneppe, newly-elected federal member of Parliament and member of Flemish Interest, was quoted in an interview as criticizing same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. After public outcry, party chairman
Tom Van Grieken
Tom Jozef Irène Van Grieken (born 7 October 1986) is a Belgian politician and author who has served as leader of Vlaams Belang since October 2014.
Early life
Van Grieken was born in Antwerp and later moved to Mortsel where he served as a muni ...
condemned her words, claiming they did not reflect his own opinion or that of the party. While he defended her right to free speech, he claimed that Flemish Interest will not seek to reverse any acquired rights of the LGBT community.
Media
Homosexuality is widely accepted in the media. Popular TV series such as ''
Thuis
''Thuis'' ( en, At Home) is a Belgian television soap opera, which airs on één, which is in the hands of VRT, the national broadcasting channel of the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, Flanders.
''Thuis'' first aired on 23 December 1995, f ...
'', ''
Skam Belgique'' and ''
wtFOCK
''WtFOCK'' (stylised as ''wtFOCK'') is a Belgian teen drama web series broadcast by VIER and VIJF that follows the lives of teenagers in Antwerp. It is an adaption of the popular Norwegian series '' SKAM''. By the end of the first series, around ...
'' (the last two being adaptations of the Norwegian series ''
Skam'') feature gay characters.
The first TV personality to publicly come out as gay was singer Will Ferdy (
nl) in 1970, when the topic was still taboo.
In 2018, journalist Bo Van Spilbeeck (
nl) came out as transgender. This received widespread media coverage.
LGBT rights movement in Belgium
![2015-05-16 13-06-15 ILCE-6000 DSC04652 (17777951782)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/2015-05-16_13-06-15_ILCE-6000_DSC04652_%2817777951782%29.jpg)
Belgian gay rights activists are grouped into several organisations; ''Çavaria'', and ''Wel Jong Niet Hetero'' (Dutch for "Young But Not Straight"), two Dutch-speaking organisations in the Flemish and Brussels regions, and the ''Federation des Associations Gayes et Lesbiennes'' in the French-speaking Walloon and Brussels regions.
Belgian gay rights activism is made most visible by means of
pride parade
A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...
demonstrations. Marches have been held annually in Belgium's capital
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
since 1996, with similar events having been held intermittently in preceding years in both Brussels and other cities. While the marches have a festive character, they are also used to present the gay movement's political agenda in the form of a list of demands. The list has been updated a number of times and has included demands for anti-discrimination laws, inclusion of gay relationships in high school sex education and the right to adoption by same-sex parents.
In the 2007 march, some participants were seen with a banner "Thank you Verhofstadt!", in reference to the fact that
same-sex marriage in Belgium
Same-sex marriage in Belgium has been legal since 1 June 2003. A bill for the legalization of same-sex marriages was passed by the Senate on 28 November 2002, and by the Chamber of Representatives on 30 January 2003. It entered into force on 1 Ju ...
and other LGBT reforms were realised by the first two governments of Prime Minister
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
(
Open VLD
french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts
, abbreviation = Open Vld
, logo =
, leader1_title = President
, leader1_name = Egbert Lachaert
, foundation = 1992 (VLD)2007 (Open Vld)
, predecessor = Pa ...
), which respectively consisted of
liberals, socialists and
greens, and of liberals and socialists.
Prior to 1998, the marches were held under the name ''Roze Zaterdag – Samedi Rose'' ("Pink Saturday"). The name was adopted for the first ever Belgian demonstration march for gay rights in 1979, taken from the same-named series of Dutch marches which were first held in 1977. The 1979 march was organised on 5 May in Brussels, with subsequent marches the next two years in respectively
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, and Brussels again. After this first short series of annual events, it was only in 1990 that the decision was made to again organise the marches regularly, starting anew on 5 May in Antwerp and then bi-annually in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
and again in Antwerp. The latter choice of city was motivated by what is known as "Black Sunday", when the right-wing party Vlaams Blok (now Vlaams Belang) scored a major electoral victory in Antwerp. Then in 1996, "Pink Saturday" was moved indefinitely to Brussels, and became an annual event. The next year, the list of demands was for the first time prominently displayed on 10 large banners carried by participants throughout the march. In 1998, the name of the march was changed to Belgian Lesbian and Gay Pride (BLGP), and then in 2009 to Belgian Pride.
In 2013, Antwerp was the host city of the
third World Outgames. The 2019 Belgian Pride parade was attended by an estimated 100,000 people.
Summary table
See also
*
Human rights in Belgium
*
LGBT rights in Europe
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. Nineteen out of the 33 countries that have legalised same-sex marriage worldwide are situated in Europe. A further eleven European countries have leg ...
*
LGBT rights in the European Union
LGBT rights in the European Union are protected under the European Union's (EU) treaties and law. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in all EU member states and discrimination in employment has been banned since 2000. However, EU states have diff ...
*
Genres Pluriels
Genres pluriels (GP) is a Belgian NGO founded in 2007 by Max Nisol, Londé Ngosso and Tanguy Pinxteren to promote the visibility of gender fluid, trans and intersex persons.
History
At the end of 2006 Max Nisol created Les Drag Kings de ...
, an NGO active for gender fluid, transgender and intersex rights
References
External links
Official website of the Belgian Pride associationOfficial website of Çavaria (in Dutch)
Official website of Arc-en-ciel Wallonie (in French)
GayBelgium, gay news and lifestyle siteOfficial website of Weljongniethetero (in Dutch)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lgbt Rights in Belgium