The Belgian Federal Government has announced a package of measures aimed at strengthening the fight against discrimination, violence and hate speech targeting LGBTQIA+ people. The initiative focuses on improving safety, healthcare and protection against online abuse, and forms the federal government’s contribution to the wider Interfederal LGBTQI+ Action Plan 2026–2030, launched with Belgium‘s regions and communities on 18 May.
Belgium remains among Europe’s leaders, but concerns persist
Belgium continues to rank among Europe’s best-performing countries on LGBTQI+ rights. The country scored 85% in the 2026 ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map, placing it alongside Denmark and behind only Spain, Malta, and Iceland.
The government, however, says the strong international ranking masks persistent problems in everyday life. According to ILGA-Europe, Belgium’s progress has stalled, while LGBTQI+ organisations report increasing levels of violence, including ambushes arranged through dating apps, attacks on LGBTQI+ meeting places, workplace harassment and disinformation campaigns on social media.
Recent incidents have included convictions following homophobic ambush attacks, an assault on the RainbowHouse in Verviers, and online threats directed at public figures such as Belgian tennis player Greet Minnen.
Official figures from Belgium’s equality body Unia underline the trend. In 2025, Unia received 311 reports of discrimination based on sexual orientation — almost one every day. Of those reports, 151 resulted in formal case files. Among the 142 cases concluded during the year, around 40% involved criminal offences such as assault, intimidation or violence, 39% concerned discrimination in employment or housing, and 22% involved hate speech, including incitement to hatred, insults and threats.
“Behind every one of those figures is a person who, at some point, no longer felt safe to be themselves,” said Federal Minister Rob Beenders (Vooruit). “We can no longer accept that. A strong score in a European ranking is encouraging, but it does nothing for someone who is afraid to hold their partner’s hand in public or who is overwhelmed by hatred online. That is why we have to do more.”
Crackdown on hate speech and online abuse
Combating hate speech, both online and offline, is one of the centrepieces of the new federal package.
The government says it is responding directly to recommendations from ILGA-Europe, which called on Belgium to strengthen its legal and policy framework against hate speech and hate crime, with explicit protection for sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.
“Those who spread hatred must no longer get away with it. Today, barely one in seven victims dares to report an attack to the police,” Beenders said.
The government also highlighted recent legislation expanding the powers of Belgium’s Telecommunications Ombudsman. The change allows the identities of perpetrators of online harassment to be disclosed to victims for legal follow-up, making it easier to pursue cases involving bullying, stalking and harassment carried out via platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Inclusive healthcare and blood donation review
Healthcare is another major pillar of the federal action plan.
The government says everyone should be able to access healthcare without having to justify who they are. Research has shown that transgender and non-binary people frequently experience discrimination within healthcare settings, as well as online and in the workplace.
To address this, the federal government plans to strengthen inclusive healthcare services for LGBTQI+ people. It will also examine by 2030 whether Belgian legislation should be amended to allow everyone to donate blood, regardless of sexual orientation.
Another measure foresees the introduction of a human rights-based medical protocol for people with variations in sex characteristics (intersex people). The protocol is intended to ensure that medical interventions are never carried out without the person’s explicit and informed consent.
Twenty-eight federal measures
The federal contribution consists of 28 targeted measures designed to be implemented quickly. They cover a broad range of policy areas, including policing, justice, foreign affairs, digitalisation, transport infrastructure, the rail sector and federal public buildings.
According to the government, the common objective is to ensure safety, respect and equal treatment regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics.
“Rights must be tangible in people’s everyday lives,” Beenders wrote in the foreword to the action plan. “Legislation remains essential, but it must be complemented by concrete measures that improve people’s daily lives. We are choosing measures that make a real difference. This is what people should expect from us.”
Part of a nationwide strategy
The federal package forms part of the broader Interfederal LGBTQI+ Action Plan 2026–2030, presented jointly by the federal government, Belgium’s regions and communities in May.
For the first time, all levels of government are working within a shared framework while respecting their individual competences, with the stated aim of creating “a society in which nobody has to hide who they are in order to be safe.”
The federal plan is expected to be submitted to the government before Parliament’s summer recess, with implementation scheduled to begin in September.
“We will continue building a Belgium in which everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, can live freely, safely and with dignity,” Beenders concluded.
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