Belgium Rises to #2 on the Rainbow Map—But That Doesn’t Mean We’re Done Fighting

Belgium now ranks second in Europe for LGBTQIA rights, according to the 2024 Rainbow Map released by ILGA-Europe, a leap forward from third place last year. On paper, it’s a reason to celebrate. In practice, it’s a warning: we’re rising on the map not because others are leaping forward, but because too many are falling behind.

This year’s Brussels Pride, taking place on Saturday, 17 May, isn’t just a celebration of progress. It’s a call to arms.

A fragile victory

Belgium’s improved ranking reflects the efforts of activists, lawmakers, and community leaders who continue to push for safer, more inclusive policies. But we didn’t reach second place by reaching the finish line. We got there because the rest of the continent is burning and Belgium, for now, is holding the line.

In Hungary, anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation is now enshrined in law. In Bulgaria and Slovakia, politicians scapegoat queer communities to score electoral points. From school curricula to asylum policies, hate is becoming institutionalized in more and more European countries.

So yes, Belgium is doing better. But better isn’t enough when queer and trans people across the EU are under attack.

Who gets left behind?

Even within our own borders, the fight is far from over. Intersex people in Belgium still face legal invisibility and medical violence. There are no specific protections against unnecessary surgeries or forced treatments on intersex children. The right to bodily autonomy remains a fight we haven’t won.

And while Belgium likes to present itself as a safe haven, queer refugees arriving here often find discrimination doesn’t end at the border. Asylum procedures fail to grasp the complex realities of LGBTQIA+ persecution. Many are retraumatized in systems that question their identities and demand impossible proof of queerness.

In a country that’s proud of its progress, too many are still unheard, unseen, and unprotected.

The backlash is coordinated

Across the Atlantic, the Trump administration and its ideological allies continue to export a toxic culture war: anti-trans bills, “gender ideology” conspiracies, attacks on queer education and healthcare. These ideas are no longer fringe—they’re mainstreamed into European discourse through far-right parties and Christian fundamentalist groups with deep pockets.

This is not just a cultural battle. It’s a political project. And we need to confront it as such.

The far right is organizing. So must we.

Pride is not a parade. It’s resistance.

Pride was born as a riot, and it remains a movement of resistance. This Saturday in Brussels, we march not just for ourselves, but for those who can’t. For our trans siblings in Poland. For the lesbian women silenced in Slovakia. For intersex youth denied autonomy in our own hospitals. For queer refugees navigating a system that doesn’t believe them.

Pride is where our joy becomes defiance. It’s where our bodies, our voices, and our visibility challenge those who want us erased.

We may be second on the Rainbow Map, but we’re still first in line when it comes to defending what’s right. Belgium has the power and the responsibility to lead a new European wave of queer solidarity. The time for quiet tolerance is over. This is the moment to show up, speak out, and fight back.

See you on the streets.