Belgium slips to fourth place in European LGBTQ+ rights ranking
Belgium has dropped from third to fourth place on the Rainbow Map, the annual European ranking of LGBTQ+ rights published on Tuesday. According to LGBTQ+ umbrella organisation çavaria, Belgium is being overtaken by countries introducing new protections while progress here has stalled in several areas.
Spain, Malta and Iceland now make up the top three in the 2026 ranking. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia remain at the bottom of the list, while Romania is the lowest-ranked EU member state in 42nd place.
Belgium nevertheless continues to score strongly in several categories. The Rainbow Map awards the country full marks for “Space for civil society”, “Family” rights, including same-sex marriage, adoption and trans parenthood, and policies against “Hate crimes and statements”.
Online hate speech
At the same time, çavaria warns that important shortcomings remain unresolved. Despite Belgium’s high score for hate crime policy, the organisation says online hate speech largely goes unpunished. “The insecurity for the LGBTQ+ community is peaking on social media,” çavaria said.
According to the organisation, victims often encounter legal obstacles because hate speech is classified as a “press offence” under the Constitution and should therefore be tried before the Court of Assizes, something that “never happens in practice”. The result, çavaria says, is “total impunity for online hate mongers.”
The organisation also criticises the lack of legal recognition for non-binary people, who are still required to register officially as either male or female. In 2019, the Constitutional Court ruled that non-binary people are entitled to recognition, but “for seven years, the federal government has ignored the Court’s ruling,” according to çavaria.
In addition, the umbrella organisation points to the lack of legal protection for intersex minors against unnecessary medical interventions. Although the Chamber approved a resolution on the matter in 2021, no legislation has yet followed. “As a result, unnecessary, invasive surgeries can still be performed on children simply to make their bodies fit within a social norm,” çavaria said.
“International solidarity is needed”
Çavaria is calling on governments to address the issues as part of the forthcoming interfederal LGBTQ+ action plan. “The federal governing parties can now prove that Belgium still wants to be the frontrunner for equal rights,” the organisation said.
Flemish minister for equal opportunities Caroline Gennez acknowledged that Belgium risks falling behind if reforms stall. “We are achieving the same score as last year, but other countries are making progress and overtaking us,” she said.
Gennez added that “ideas and concepts that we have long considered established are declining” and argued that “international solidarity is needed”. Flanders is therefore supporting ILGA-Europe, the organisation behind the Rainbow Map, with 200,000 euros this year.
Federal minister for equal opportunities Rob Beenders described the ranking as “a clear warning”. “Progress is never a given, and acquired rights only remain strong if we continue to protect, strengthen, and anchor them,” he said and added that he wants to focus on a stronger approach to online hate speech, better information on rights and greater awareness around diversity and respect.
© PHOTO BELPRESS
Related news
