Petra De Sutter is a well-known politician and medical specialist from Belgium. She was born in Oudenaarde, East Flanders, on June 10, 1963. She is currently the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and has become well-known as the first transgender minister in Europe and the first openly transgender Deputy Prime Minister in Europe.
Quick facts for kids Petra De Sutter | Â |
De Sutter in 2018 | Â |
Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium | Â |
Incumbent | Â |
Assumed office 1 October 2020 | Â |
Prime Minister | Alexander De Croo |
Minister of Civil Service | Â |
Incumbent | Â |
Assumed office 1 October 2020 | Â |
Prime Minister | Alexander De Croo |
Preceded by | David Clarinval |
Member of the European Parliament for Belgium | Â |
In office 2 July 2019 – 30 September 2020 |  |
Member of the Belgian Senate | Â |
In office 3 July 2014 – 29 March 2019 |  |
Personal details | Â |
Born | 10 June 1963 (age 61) Oudenaarde, Belgium |
Political party | Groen |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | Ghent University |
Petra De Sutter Personal Life
Age
Petra De Sutter was born on June 10, 1963. As of today, January 28, 2025, she is 61 years old.
Petra De Sutter Partner
Petra De Sutter and Claire have been married for approximately a decade. De Sutter has openly expressed her joy in her relationship with Claire, emphasizing the significance of love in her life.
Petra De Sutter Children
The letter de Sutter is a parent to the child, but there is limited public information regarding the child’s name etc.
Petra De Sutter Education and Medical Career
In 1987, Petra De Sutter graduated with a medical degree from Ghent University, and in 1991, she finished her doctorate in biomedicine. She changed her name to Petra and had a gender transition in 2004. Throughout her medical career, De Sutter has held notable roles, including head of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent) and professor of gynaecology at Ghent University. Since 1994, she has focused on gynaecology and has also studied oocyte genetics in the United States.
Political Career
After her party, Groen (the Flemish Green Party), failed to win another seat in the European elections, Petra De Sutter was appointed to the Belgian Senate and began her political career in 2014. As the first openly transgender Belgian candidate to be listed on a party election roster, she created history. She was an active member of several committees in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that dealt with immigration, public health, and ethics between 2014 and 2019.
She chaired the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection before joining the European Parliament (MEP) in 2019. She was named Deputy Prime Minister on October 1, 2020, and is in charge of managing public companies and administration in Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s administration.
Member of the Senate, 2014–2019
De Sutter was ranked second on the Flemish Green party’s ticket in the 2014 European elections. Even though the party received more votes, it was unable to secure a second seat. Her party later used her to gain a seat in the Belgian Senate. She was the first openly transgender Belgian woman to appear on a party election list.
De Sutter was a member of the Belgian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2014 to 2019, in addition to her position in the Senate. She served on 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 as a member of the Socialists, Democrats, and Greens Group. As the Assembly’s rapporteur on the rights of children in connection with surrogacy agreements (2016), the use of new genetic technology in humans (2017), and the conditions of receiving refugees and migrants (2018), she served in these capacities.
De Sutter has taken on significant topics since entering politics, including independent clinical research in the pharmaceutical business, surrogacy regulations in Belgium and Europe, the dangers of TTIP for consumers’ protection of chemicals and food, and advocating for the rights of LGBT individuals.
Member of the European Parliament, 2019–2020
De Sutter was declared to be one of the two front-runners of the European Greens in the 2019 elections for the European Parliament on September 15, 2018. However, the Dutchman Bas Eickhout and the German Ska Keller ultimately defeated him. She was the first Green politician to serve as chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection after entering the Parliament. She also became a member of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer in 2020.
De Sutter was a member of the Parliament’s mission for relations with South Asian nations, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, in addition to her committee responsibilities. She co-chaired the MEPs Against Cancer group and was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights.
At The Parliament Magazine’s annual MEP Awards in December 2020, De Sutter was presented with the Justice & Gender Equality award.
Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, 2020–present
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.
Medical career
De Sutter relocated to the US after graduating in 1991 and studied oocyte genetics in Chicago for two years. She obtained a gynaecological speciality in 1994. At Ghent University, she was appointed Professor of Reproductive Medicine in 2000. She was appointed Head of Ghent University Hospital’s Reproductive Medicine Department in 2006.
Advocacy and Impact
Throughout her career, Petra De Sutter has continuously advocated for sexual and reproductive rights. She has aggressively addressed a number of issues, including the health risks connected to endocrine disruptors and the establishment of surrogacy rules. Her efforts to advance sexual and reproductive rights were recognised in December 2020 when The Parliament Magazine presented her with the renowned Justice & Gender Equality award.
De Sutter has recently voiced their views on a variety of social issues, including denouncing remarks made by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak regarding gender identity and calling for sanctions against Israel in light of its actions in Gaza.
Conclusion
Petra De Sutter is a prominent player in Belgian politics and broader European discussions on gender identity, public health, and human rights because of her combination of medical expertise and political involvement. Her political endeavours continue to be influenced by her commitment to advancing social justice.
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