Petra De Sutter (born 10 June 1963) is a Belgian transgender gynaecologist and politician,who served as federal Deputy Prime Minister. Following her term,she was elected rector of Ghent University.
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]
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]
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
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 MinisterAlexander 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
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]
In January 2026,De Sutter,in her capacity as Rector of Ghent University (UGent),faced significant public and academic scrutiny following the discovery of fabricated quotes in a high-profile address.[28]
Other activities
Friends of Europe,Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2020)[29]
References
1234Petra De Sutter, Elke Lahousse, (Over)leven: mijn strijd als transvrouw arts & politica (2016, ISBN946041513X)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
