Préamble

All laws, decrees and orders against discrimination have evolved in several stages :

The first stage condemned discrimination based on nationality, race, skin color, etc.

The second stage added the criteria of age, philosophical or religious opinions, etc.

The third step added sex, motherhood, wealth, political beliefs, trade unions, etc.

The fourth step added sexual orientation.

The fifth stage added sex reassignment, gender identity, gender expression. It was finally for us transgender people.

The first step dates from 1981, transidentity was inserted into these laws of 2014. It therefore took nearly 33 years for the Belgian legislator to realize that transidentity should be protected in the same way as other differences.

Not so repressed though

Mais tous ces règlements comportent des articles qui relativisent la discrimination, qui la conditionne en quelque sorte. Ceux-ci tiennent compte de la jurisprudence qui relativise le principe d'égalité établi par nos hautes cours de justices (Cour de Cassation et Cour Constitutionnelle). Cela peut être résumé de la manière suivante : une différence de traitement peut exister entre différentes catégories de personnes pour autant qu'elle soit objective et pertinente, qu'elle soit raisonnablement motivée. Ces différences de traitement doivent être en adéquation avec l'objectif poursuivi compte tenu de la mesure considérée et les moyens pour y parvenir doivent être proportionnés.

Donc, non à la discrimination ! Si elle est relativement et raisonnablement motivée, elle peut-être nettement moins réprimée. Les funambules de la loi jouent là-dessus...

Federal state laws

It all started in 1981... The first is the law of July 30, 1981 tending to repress certain acts inspired by racism or xenophobia.

Article 3 specifies that the purpose of the law is to create, with the exception of matters which fall within the competence of the Communities or Regions, a general framework for combating discrimination based on nationality, alleged race, color skin, ancestry or national or ethnic origin.

Article 4 (Chapter II) creates in point 4° the protected criteria which are nationality, alleged race, skin color, descent or national or ethnic origin.

The law of May 10, 2007 attempting to fight against certain forms of discrimination.

The protected criteria referred to in Art. 4 - 4° (chapter II) are age, sexual orientation, marital status, birth, fortune, religious or philosophical conviction, political conviction, language, current or future state of health , a handicap, a physical or genetic characteristic, social origin.

A second law of May 10, 2007 tends to fight against discrimination between women and men.

Article 3 of this law aims to fight against discrimination on the basis of sex and stipulates in its article 4 § 2 that a direct distinction based on the change of sex is assimilated to a distinction based on sex.

A piece of the veil is lifted on transgender people.

Modification of these laws

Law of May 10, 2007 amending the law of July 31, 1981 to repress certain acts inspired by racism and xenophobia. §1st article 7 chapter 1 of Title II specifies that any distinction based on an alleged race, skin color, ancestry or national or ethnic origin constitutes direct discrimination.

A remark for these three laws of May 10, 2007 :

Chapter III entitled 'fields of application' of these three laws states very clearly: "with the exception of matters which fall within the competence of the Communities or the Regions."

These three laws use the same definition concerning labor relations, i.e. relations which include, among other things, employment, conditions of access to employment, working conditions and dismissal regulations, and this :

1. Both in the public and private sectors

2. For both salaried and self-employed work

3. At all levels of the professional hierarchy and for all branches of activity

4. Regardless of the statutory or contractual regime of the person performing the work.