– in Europe (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green) – [Legend]
Status
Legal since 1795, age of consent (re)equalized in 1985
Gender identity
Transgender persons allowed to change legal gender without surgery
Military
LGBT people allowed to serve openly
Discrimination protections
Sexual orientation and gender identity protections (see below)
Family rights
Recognition of relationships
Statutory cohabitation since 2000 Same-sex marriage since 2003
Adoption
Full adoption rights since 2006
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Belgium are regarded as some of the most progressive in Europe and the world.[1][2][3] In 2023, ILGA-Europe ranked Belgium as second in the European Union for LGBT rights protection, behind Malta.[4] In 2024, ILGA-Europe ranked Belgium the third highest after Malta and Iceland.[5]
Same-sex sexual activity was legalised in 1795, with an equal age of consent, except from 1965 until 1985. After granting same-sex couples domestic partnership benefits in 2000, Belgium became the second country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2003. Same-sex adoption was fully legalised in 2006 under the same terms and conditions as heterosexual adoption,[2] and lesbian couples can access IVF as well. Protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public and private accommodations were enacted in 2003 and on gender identity 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people have been allowed to change their legal gender since 2007, though under certain restrictions which were repealed in 2018. Additionally, conversion therapy was banned in 2023.[6]
Belgium has frequently been referred to as one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world,[7] with recent polls indicating that a majority of Belgians support same-sex marriage and adoption rights. The previous Prime Minister of Belgium, Elio Di Rupo, is an openly gay man, and was one of the few heads of government in the world to openly identify as LGBT. Pascal Smet, the former Flemish Minister of Education and 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.
^"Rainbow Europe". rainbow-europe.org. 20 February 2024.
^ abWalker, Lauren. "Belgium celebrates 20 years of same-sex marriage". The Brussels Times. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
^"The 203 Worst (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel in 2023". Asher & Lyric. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
^"Country Ranking". Rainbow Europe. March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^"2024 RAINBOW MAP". ILGA-Europe. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
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