LGBT Rights in Belgium

Homosexuality: ⚢
✔ Legal
Gay Marriage: ⚭
✔ Legal
Censorship: ✔ No censorship
Changing Gender: ✔ Legal, no restrictions
Gender-Affirming Care: ✔ Legal
Non-Binary Gender Recognition: ✖ Not legally recognized
Discrimination: ✔ Illegal
Employment Discrimination: ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
Housing Discrimination: ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
Adoption: ✔ Legal
Intersex Infant Surgery: ✖ Not banned
Military: ✔ Legal
Donating Blood: ✖ Banned (less than 6-month deferral)
Conversion Therapy: ✔ Banned
Age of Consent: ✔ Equal

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Public Opinion

Suggest Public Opinion Data

Public opinion in Belgium appears to be somewhat divided on LGBTQ+ issues, as evidenced by recent studies.

OPPOSE

SUPPORT

Support for same-sex marriage (2024)

Ranked #8 of 26 regions

Question: When you think about the rights of same-sex couples, which of the following comes closest to your personal opinion?: "Same-sex couples should be allowed to marry legally" "Same-sex couples should be allowed to obtain some kind of legal recognition, but not to marry" "Not Sure", "Same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry or obtain any kind of legal recognition"

Source: Ipsos, February 23–March 8, 2024

Oppose

10%

13.4%

study avg.

Support

78%

71.3%

study avg.

Percentage of the LBGTIQ population who have experienced a conversion practice (EU) (2023)

Ranked #1 of 30 regions

Question: Have you experienced any of the interventions to change your sexual orientation and/or gender identity including: intervention by family members; prayer, religious ritual or religious counselling; psychological or psychiatric treatment; medication; physical violence (such as beatings); sexual violence; verbal abuse or humiliation; other?

Source: FRA - EU Agency for fundamental rights, June-Avgust 2023

Yes

20%

27.7%

study avg.

Comfort with having the highest elected political position be gay, lesbian or bisexual (EU) (2015)

Ranked #3 of 28 regions

Question: And using a scale from 1 to 10, please tell me how you would feel having a person from each of the following groups in the highest elected political position in (OUR COUNTRY). '1' means that you would feel "not at all comfortable" and '10' that you would feel totally comfortable". A gay, lesbian, or bisexual person

Source: Eurobarometer, May 30th to June 8th 2015

Total Uncomfortable (1-4)

28.1%

study avg.

Total Comfortable (7-10)

80%

46.3%

study avg.

Comfort working with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual colleague (EU) (2015)

Ranked #6 of 28 regions

Question: Regardless of whether you are actually working or not, please tell me, using a scale from 1 to 10, how comfortable you would feel if one of your colleagues at work belonged to each of the following groups? '1' means that you would feel "not at all comfortable" and '10' that you would feel "totally comfortable".A gay, lesbian or bisexual person?

Source: Eurobarometer, May 30th to June 8th 2015

Total Uncomfortable (1-4)

18.2%

study avg.

Total Comfortable (7-10)

80%

56.9%

study avg.

Show 69 More

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Rate This Region

Survey results from 15 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Belgium.

Overall
Overall

Perceived Safety*
Feel safe being open
Absence of verbal harassment
Absence of threats and violence
*Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.

Equal Treatment
Treatment by peers
Treatment by family
Treatment at work
Treatment at school
Treatment by general public
Treatment by businesses
Treatment by law enforcement
Treatment by religious groups

Visibility & Representation
Inclusion in education
Representation in entertainment
Representation in news
Political support
Out public figures

Culture
Pride/events
Nightlife
Dating life
Interest groups and clubs

Services
Health and wellness
Gender-affirming care
Support and social services
Advocacy and legal

History

Homosexual activity in Belgium

Homosexual activity in Belgium is legal.

Current status

Since Sep 3, 1944

Legal

Belgium was liberated in September of 1944. Belgian civil law reverted back to pre-war laws.

LGBT Rights in Belgium

Public Opinion

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2024)

Support for LGBT people to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity (2024)

Support for LGBT rights and protections (2024)

Support for teens' access to gender-affirming care (2024)

Support for access to facilities matching gender identity (2024)

Support for other-gender option on official documents (2024)

Support for transgender athletes (2024)

Support for same-sex marriage (2024)

Support for same-sex adoption (2024)

Support for same-sex couples' parenting (2024)

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2023)

Support for same-sex adoption (2023)

Support for same-sex marriage or legal recognition (2023)

Views about same-sex couples' parenting (2023)

Perceived prevalence of transgender discrimination (2023)

Support for transgender discrimination protection (2023)

Support for teens’ access to gender-affirming care (2023)

Support for trans access to facilities matching gender identity (2023)

Support for non-binary gender option on official documents (2023)

Support for insurance coverage of gender transition costs (2023)

Hide being LGBTIQ at work 'often’ or ‘always' (EU) (2023)

Percentage of the LBGTIQ population who have experienced a conversion practice (EU) (2023)

Approval of gay male parents (2023)

Approval of lesbian parents (2023)

Views on same-sex marriage or other legal recognition (2021)

Views on same-sex couples' right to adopt (2021)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2020)

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2020)

Perceived prevalence of discrimination against sexual orientation (European Union) (2019)

Perceived prevalence of discrimination against transgender people (European Union) (2019)

Acceptance of same-sex relationships (European Union) (2019)

Support for transgender people changing legal gender (European Union) (2019)

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2018)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2018)

Attitude toward transgender people (2017)

Attitude toward gender reassignment surgery (2017)

Allowing transgender people to adopt (2017)

Transgender people's bathroom choice (2017)

Belief that transgender people have a form of mental illness (2017)

Belief that transgender people are violating country's culture (2017)

Belief that transgender people should be allowed to marry a person of their birth sex (2017)

Transgender people in the military (2017)

Support for gender affirming surgery (2016)

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2016)

Support for transgender discrimination protection (2016)

Allowing transgender people to adopt (2016)

Allowing transgender people to give birth (2016)

Allowing transgender people to marry (2016)

Support for restroom access by current gender identity (2016)

Belief that transgender people are a natural occurrence (2016)

Belief that transgender people have a form of mental illness (2016)

Belief that transgender people are violating country's culture (2016)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2016)

Perceived widespread discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (2015)

Perceived widespread discrimination on the basis of gender identity (2015)

Diversity is sufficiently reflected in the media, in terms of sexual orientation (2015)

Diversity is sufficiently reflected in the media, in terms of gender identity (2015)

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people (EU) (2015)

There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex (EU) (2015)

Support for same-sex marriage (EU) (2015)

Comfort with having the highest elected political position be gay, lesbian or bisexual (EU) (2015)

Comfort working with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual colleague (EU) (2015)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2014)

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2013)

Views on Same-Sex Marriage (2013)

Support for same-sex marriage or other legal recognition (2013)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2012)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2010)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2008)

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people to live (2007)

Support for same-sex marriage in Europe (2006)

Support for gay adoption (2006)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2006)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2004)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2002)

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Overall

Perceived Safety*

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