The LGBTQI+ defence association RainbowHouse has done a survey of the different electoral lists in Brussels to determine how committed they are to issues regarding sexual orientation. As Sunday is election day, they are publishing each party’s answers and inviting voters to look at them and form an opinion before going to the polls.
Belgium has one of the best legislative arsenals in Europe. But freely walking the streets and some administrative procedures are not always easy when you are part of the LGBTQI+ community. “Saying you are LGBT-friendly is good, but now we want communes to act”, says RainbowHouse’s Hammadi Oumayma. That’s why the association has sent a questionnaire to all the parties that are putting themselves forward at the elections. Voters can look at the answers for their commune on the association’s site, which will give them an idea of each party’s political commitment to LGBTQI+ rights.
RainbowHouse says the parties that have shown the most interest in this initiative and are “most advanced” in altersexual issues are Ecolo and the Greens. Next comes the PTB, PS and the sp.a, followed by the Communal Left of Saint-Gilles. The citizen party Plan B in Brussels is also ready to act.
The MR and CD&V gave a joint answer for the whole of Brussels, “which is not ideal as every commune is different and has their own projects”, says Mrs Oumayma. The N-VA and OpenVld did not respond to the association’s request.
The questionnaire asks candidates about nominations for Equal Opportunities Councillor, if staff are trained to deal with LGBTQI+ individuals and how visible the community is in public areas.
The association’s requests have been publicly available since Belgian Pride in May, which they addressed to local authorities.
The Brussels Times
