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'''Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in Belgium''' are seen as some of the most [[Progressivism|progressive]] in [[Europe]] and the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rainbow-europe.org/#8624/0/0|title=Rainbow Europe|website=rainbow-europe.org}}</ref> In 2021, [[ILGA-Europe]] ranked Belgium as second in the [[European Union]] for LGBT rights protection, behind [[LGBT rights in Malta|Malta]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Country Ranking |url=https://www.rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking#eu |website=[[Rainbow Europe]]|date=March 2016 |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref>
Same-sex sexual activity was legalised in 1795, with an equal [[age of consent]], except from 1965 until 1985. After granting same-sex couples [[domestic partnership]] benefits in 2000, [[Belgium]] became the second country in the world to legalise [[same-sex marriage]] in 2003. [[LGBT adoption|Same-sex adoption]] was fully legalised in 2006 under the same terms and conditions as heterosexual adoption, and [[lesbian]] couples can access [[In vitro fertilisation|IVF]] as well. Protections from discrimination based on [[sexual orientation]] in employment, housing, and public and private accommodations were enacted in 2003 and on [[gender identity]] and expression in 2014. Transgender people have been allowed to change their legal gender since 2007, though under certain restrictions which were repealed in 2018. Conversion therapy also became banned in 2023.
Belgium has frequently been referred to as one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-most-gay-friendly-countries-2013-3|title=13 Countries That Are More Gay Friendly Than America|first=Rebecca|last=Baird-Remba|website=Business Insider}}</ref> with recent polls indicating that a majority of Belgians support same-sex marriage and adoption rights. The previous [[Prime Minister of Belgium]], [[Elio Di Rupo]], is an openly gay man, and was one of the few [[heads of government]] in the world to identify as LGBT. [[Pascal Smet]], the former Flemish Minister of Education and Brussels Minister of Mobility, is also openly gay. With the appointment of [[Petra De Sutter]] as Minister of Civil Service in 2020, Belgium is one of the first countries in the world to have an openly [[transgender woman]] as a government minister.
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