Belgium Remained Highly Accepting of LGBTI Individuals. Both Political

Belgium Belgium remained highly accepting of LGBTI individuals. Both political and religious leaders spoke out in favour of diversity, although reports of street harassment continued. In a widely-publicised case, a tribunal acknowledged a murder motivated by homophobia for the first time in Belgium. Requests for legal gender recognition rose, and the Senate welcomed its first openly trans member. 48 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 Bias-motivated speech Flemish, CD&V) disagreed, emphasising it wasn’t for l Following a television documentary on sexist street discrimination victims to adapt to a hostile work harassment in Brussels, newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws environment, but for the work environment not to revealed that Brussels police had received 449 complaints discriminate. Flemish Minister of Education Hilde Crevits about street harassment and intimidation (including with (CD&V) also supported the teacher’s coming out. At the homophobic or transphobic motives) in the first eight end of the year, the teacher was looking for employment months of 2014. A police chief explained that although all outside the education sector. complaints were transmitted to the prosecutor and recorded, they were scarcely examined due to tribunals’ Equality and non-discrimination limited resources or lack of proof. During the same time l Writing an open letter ahead of the October synod period, only 18 perpetrators, who were actually caught in on the family in the Vatican, Bishop of Antwerp Johan the act, received a municipal administrative penalty. Bonny called on the Church to “break with its defensive attitude”, abandon its “offensive” language in relation to Bias-motivated violence love, sexuality and relationships, and welcome gay and l In March, the Liège Assize Court sentenced the lesbian individuals. In December, he added the Church murderer of a gay man to 25 years’ imprisonment. This should recognise same-sex couples’ unions. Mr Bonny was the first time that a Belgian court recognised a was rumoured to be in good stead to replace homophobic motive. The tribunal considered conservative Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard, due to homophobia an aggravating factor in its sentencing. retire in 2015. l The Flemish Policy Research Centre on Equality l There was an important expansion of Policies published ethnographic research into experiences antidiscrimination laws in 2014. The Gender Law, on of homophobic violence in Brussels. 111 participants took combatting discrimination between men and women, part. The study suggested that non-conforming gender now includes gender identity and gender expression as expression was a leading trigger of homophobic violence, discrimination grounds. Regional decrees were also and that while the city centre’s LGBTI-friendly area was adapted, meaning that discrimination in areas of public generally considered safe, violence did occur outside life on the basis of gender identity or gender expression is LGBTI-friendly bars and clubs. now explicitly forbidden. l They also published a report on the prevalence and l In March, the Flemish Parliament adopted a non- context of homophobic violence and one on transphobic binding resolution on the social acceptance of trans violence. It found that verbal, and to a lesser degree people, recommending better services and integration in physical, violence was widespread and under-reported. the fields of education, research, the media, employment, healthcare and welfare. The text received cross-party Employment support. l In July, a primary school headmaster asked a prospective teacher not to reveal his homosexuality. The Family teacher initially accepted the job, but later decided he l In May, the parliament adopted a law to automatically couldn’t lie to pupils, and refused the post. Brussels recognise the non-biological mother’s parenthood in Director-General for Education Charles Huygens claimed lesbian couples. The law will come into force on 1 January this wasn’t discrimination, but a matter of neutrality since 2015. Both mothers will be automatically recognised in teachers shouldn’t discuss their personal lives with married couples. In other cases (registered or unregistered children. Brussels Secretary of State for Equal lesbian couples), the non-biological mother will be able to Opportunities Bianca Debaets (Christian-Democratic and legally recognise the child at birth. The reform also ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015 49 granted non-biological mothers the same rights as fathers in different-sex couples. Foreign policy l During the summit of EU and African heads of states in April, openly gay Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo called on his African counterparts to respect the rights of LGBTI people. During a state dinner he hosted, Mr Di Rupo said: “We cannot tolerate that some are denied their rights and persecuted for their origins, their sexual orientation, their religion and their convictions”. Most African leaders attended the event, including leaders from Uganda and Nigeria, which passed harsh homophobic laws in late 2013 and early 2014. Legal gender recognition l The resolution that Flemish MPs adopted in March (see Equality and non-discrimination) also recommended ending medical requirements for legal gender recognition, including sterilisation. l Doctors at Ghent University Hospital reported that increased numbers of trans individuals signed up for gender reassignment surgery. Numbers rose steadily from 17 in the “early 1990s” and 27 in the year 2000, to 133 individuals signing up for the procedure in 2013. Waiting times lengthened to four months for initial appointments, and two years for operations. Participation in public, cultural and political life l Petra De Sutter (Groen, Flemish green party) became the first openly trans woman to sit in the Federal Senate. She also ran in the elections to the European Parliament in May, but her party failed to collect enough votes. She became a delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 50 ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2015.

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