Belgium’s New Deputy Prime Minister Is Europe’s Most Senior Trans Politician
Belgium has a new governing coalition and it’s Deputy Prime Minister is a trans woman and Europe’s most senior trans politician.
Petra De Sutter of the Flemish Green party, Groen, was announced as one of the country's Deputy Prime Ministers, according to a statement by the European Greens.
De Sutter, who has been a member of the European Parliament since July 2019, was appointed to the post alongside six other politicians, as ‘CNN’ reports.
Belgium had not had a full-fledged government since December 2018, when a four-party collation collapsed.
De Sutter is a professor of gynaecology, specialising in fertility at the University of Ghent. She is a vocal advocate for trans rights and reproductive rights, and has spoken openly about her own experiences of being a trans woman.
“I was forty when I decided to fully become the woman that I always was and because of this decision I lost colleagues, people I knew and even friends,” she said in an interview.
“Not everybody has had the luck in life that I had, in being accepted in my working environment, being accepted by my partner and love. In fact, very few people in my situation had this luck,” she said.
“This is why I need to do something, for those who lacked this luck. I have a very strong sense of justice and find it so unjust that people in the world suffer simply because of who they want to be,” she added.
De Sutter welcomed her appointment on Twitter, writing: “Incredibly grateful for the trust I have received from my party. Last night, alongside 1,000 other members, I gave the green light for the new government.”
“Now, with that government, I can do what is necessary to relaunch our country and work on a new future for all Belgians,” she added.
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