Petra De Sutter (second from left)
In Belgium, a transgender woman for the first time in an EU country received the post of Deputy Prime Minister. Reported by The Brussels Times.
We are talking about 57-year-old Peter de Sutter, a former MEP and member of the Green Party. In addition, she also received the post of Minister of State Enterprise and Public Administration.
“I am proud that in Belgium and in most of the European Union countries your gender identity does not define you as a person and is not a problem. I hope that my appointment as minister and deputy prime minister can provoke debate in countries where this does not yet exist, ”the deputy prime minister wrote on Twitter.
De Sutter is a gynecologist by training, she headed the department of reproductive medicine at the University of Ghent. She changed sex at 40 and has long actively defended the rights of the LGBT community.
Belgium on October 1 gained a government led by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo after 653 days without a full-fledged ruling coalition – a new world record. At this time, a technical cabinet of ministers worked in the country. The new government consists of half women, and also includes several ministers with a migration background.
In May, it was reported that a transgender woman became mayor of the city of Tillois-Le-Marshienne in France for the first time. The candidacy of a 55-year-old transgender woman, Marie Ko, was supported by 14 municipal deputies.
