Belgium’s new deputy Prime Minister is a transgender gynecologist

Petra De Sutter, a Green Party member of parliament, has been chosen as Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister. The transgender gynecologist will be the minister for public administration and public enterprises.

The country has been without a ruling government for 16 months. The new government will consist of a seven-party coalition.

Related: Judith Butler tore J.K. Rowling’s transphobia to pieces in an epic clapback

De Sutter’s experience as a doctor and fertility expert has informed her activism around sexual health and reproductive freedom as well as trans issues.

Never Miss a Beat

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.

Sign Up

Daily

Weekly

Good News

Promotions (occasional)

“Last night I gave the green light for the new government with 1,000 other members, now I can do whatever it takes to relaunch our country and work on a new future for all Belgians together with that government!” De Sutter tweeted last night after news broke that a government had been formed.

“Incredibly grateful for the confidence I have received from my party!”

The government, led by Flemish liberal Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, was sworn in by King Philippe shortly after formation.

De Sutter has emphasized that being transgender is only one part of who she is as a person and a politician.

“I don’t want to be reduced to my transgender past, it’s [only] one part of my identity,” she said last year. “I have many others. I want people to talk about me because of my work, because of my political actions.”