Petra De Sutter

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Petra De Sutter
De Sutter in 2020
Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium
In office
1 October 2020 – 3 February 2025
Prime MinisterAlexander De Croo
Minister of the Civil Service, Public Enterprises, Telecommunication and Postal Services
In office
1 October 2020 – 3 February 2025
Prime MinisterAlexander De Croo
Preceded byDavid Clarinval
Succeeded byVanessa Matz
Member of the European Parliament
for Belgium
In office
2 July 2019 – 30 September 2020
Member of the Belgian Senate
In office
3 July 2014 – 29 March 2019
Personal details
Born10 June 1963 (1963-06-10) (age 62)[1]
Oudenaarde, Belgium
PartyGroen
Children1
Alma materGhent University
Websitewww.petradesutter.be

Petra De Sutter (born 10 June 1963) is a Belgian gynaecologist and politician, who served as federal Deputy Prime Minister. Following her term, she was elected rector of Ghent University.

A member of the Groen party, she was previously a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 until 2020, when she was named Deputy PM with the responsibility of overseeing Belgium's public administration and public enterprises in Alexander De Croo's government.[2] She is the first transgender minister in Europe.[3]

Before entering into politics, she worked as professor of gynaecology at Ghent University, serving as head of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent).[1][4]

Early life and education

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De Sutter was born in Oudenaarde, in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in June 1963. She graduated from Ghent University with a medical degree in 1987 and with a PhD in biomedicine in 1991.[citation needed] She transitioned to female in 2004.[1]

Medical career

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After graduating, De Sutter moved to the United States, spending two years studying oocyte genetics in Chicago. In 1994, she earned a specialisation in gynaecology.[5] In 2000, she was named Professor in Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University. In 2006, she was named Head of the Department for Reproductive Medicine of Ghent University Hospital.[citation needed]

Political career

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Member of the Senate, 2014–2019

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In the 2014 European elections, De Sutter was second on the list for the Flemish Green party. However, the party missed its hold on a second seat. She was subsequently co-opted by her party for a seat in the Belgian Senate.[4] As a trans woman,[1] she became the first openly transgender Belgian to be on a party election list.[6]

In addition, De Sutter served as member of the Belgian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2014 until 2019.[7] As member of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group, she was a member of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons; the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs; the Sub-Committee on Integration; the Sub-Committee on Public Health and Sustainable Development; and the Sub-Committee on Ethics. She served as the Assembly's rapporteur on children's rights in relation to surrogacy arrangements (2016);[8] on the use of new genetic technologies in human beings (2017);[9] and on the conditions of reception of refugees and migrants (2018).[10]

Since her political debut, De Sutter has tackled a regulation for surrogacy at a Belgian and European level, independent clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry, the risks of TTIP for consumer's protection of food and chemicals, and standing up for rights for LGBT people.[11][citation needed]

Member of the European Parliament, 2019–2020

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File:Petra De Sutter - GEF - The EP Goes Green.webm
De Sutter introducing herself in a video by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Green European Foundation

On 15 September 2018, it was announced De Sutter was seeking nomination as one of the European Greens two lead candidates for the 2019 European Parliament elections, which eventually fell down to the Dutch Bas Eickhout and the German Ska Keller.[12] After joining the Parliament, she chaired the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection; she was the first Green politician in this position.[13] In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.[14]

In addition, De Sutter was part of the Parliament's delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). She was also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights[15] and co-chaired the MEPs Against Cancer group.[16]

In December 2020, De Sutter received the Justice & Gender Equality award at The Parliament Magazine's annual MEP Awards, in recognition of her work as an MEP on sexual and reproductive rights.[17]

Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, 2020–2025

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File:EU2024BE 240105 Visit of the College of Commissioners Egmont Palace JNZT 0030 (53444699189).jpg
De Sutter in 2024

On 1 October 2020, De Sutter was sworn in as one of seven deputy prime ministers in the government of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, becoming Europe's first transgender deputy prime minister, and the most senior trans politician in Europe.[18]

In October 2023, De Sutter criticised UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's speech at the Conservative party conference where he argued that his audience should not be "bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be" and that "a man is a man and a woman is a woman." She described Sunak's words as "hurtful and very disappointing" as well as "fuelling transphobia."[19]

In November 2023, De Sutter criticized Israel's conduct during the Gaza war, and said "It is time for sanctions against Israel.[20] The rain of bombs is inhumane," De Sutter said.[21] She also called on Hamas to release all its kidnapped hostages, and declared that “we must stop the money flows funding this terror organization."[22] On 29 February 2024, De Sutter said she was horrified by the news of the flour massacre.[23]

University chancellor

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Following the inauguration of the De Wever Government in February 2025, De Sutter announced her retirement from national politics while remaining active in local politics. She was elected Rector of Ghent University in April that year, alongside Herwig Reynaert, receiving 55.60% of the votes, and assumed the role on October 1st.[24][25][26] In September 2025, she decided to not join a trade mission to the United States due to "the current rules President Trump has issued," with Politico surmising she was referring to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump on LGBTQ+ people.[27]

Other activities

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  • Friends of Europe, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2020)[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Petra De Sutter, Elke Lahousse, (Over)leven: mijn strijd als transvrouw arts & politica (2016, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).)
  2. ^ Barbara Moens (October 1, 2020), Green MEP Petra De Sutter to be named deputy Belgian PM Politico Europe.
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ a b Professor Petra De Sutter aangeduid als gecoöpteerd senator voor Groen, 21 June 2014, Het Laatste Nieuws
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  8. ^ Surrogacy: governments should consider drawing up guidelines to safeguard children’s rights, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of September 21, 2016.
  9. ^ Petra De Sutter: "High time for a debate on new genetic technologies" Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of August 3, 2017.
  10. ^ More efforts needed for refugees’ reception on Greek islands Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of July 13, 2018.
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ European Greens - Support phase Leading Candidates
  13. ^ Maïa de La Baume (January 13, 2020), 20 MEPs to watch in 2020 Politico Europe.
  14. ^ Members of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer European Parliament, press release of July 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Members European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.
  16. ^ MAC MEPs in the 2019-24 legislature Archived 2020-02-02 at the Wayback Machine MEPs Against Cancer.
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Oscar Lopez (October 1, 2020), Belgium appoints Europe's first transgender deputy PM Reuters.
  19. ^ Ashifa Kassam (October 6, 2023), Belgian transgender deputy PM urges Sunak not to join ‘the real bullies’ The Guardian.
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  27. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  28. ^ Friends of Europe appoints 29 new members to its Board of Trustees Friends of Europe, press release of June 25, 2020.

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