A remarkable double event in Antwerp as it hosted the OutGames 2013 and the affiliated Human Rights Conference themed ‘From Safe Harbor to Equality’. By Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com September 2013 Being There There was nothing quite like it before or since. As I stepped off the streamline train from the Brussels airport into the
Belgium is considered to be a very liberal country with LGBT rights and became the 2nd country in the world to legalize gay marriage, in 2003. There is no law against homosexuals and homosexuality has been decriminalised since 1843. At that time the age of consent for homosexual acts was 18 (16 for heterosexual acts). The age of consent was equalized to 16, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender in 1985. Homosexuals are not banned from military service. Belgian gay rights activism is made most visible by means of the Belgian Lesbian and Gay Pride demonstration marches. The marches are held annually in Belgium’s capital Brussels since 1996, with similar events having been held intermittently in preceding years in both Brussels and other cities. While the marches have a festive character, they are also used to present the gay movement’s political agenda in the form of a list of demands. The list was updated a number of times (in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005) and has included demands for anti-discrimination laws, inclusion of gay relationships in high-school sex education and the right to adoption by same-sex parents. LGBT Travelers should check out our new Belgium Gay Lodging Directory.
Name: Belgium
Population: 1048500
Capital: Brussels - Pop. 148800
Area: 30518 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: Dutch, French, German
Religion: Catholic, Secular
Status of Homosexuality: Legal
Telephone Country Code: 32
Belgium: No waffling on gay marriage, 2015/Mar/03
Belgium’s Gay Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo Steps Down, 2014/May/26
Gearing up for Belgian Gay Pride, 2013/May/16
Gay Belgium News & Reports 2011, 2011/Apr/10
Moroccan faith healer arrested, 2009/Oct/28
Gay Belgium News & Reports 2003-10, 2009/Jan/01
