Netherlands votes to ban discrimination based on sexuality or disability

The Netherlands will expand its Constitution to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or disability.

The move was approved in a 56-15 vote by the Dutch senate in January, marking the final part of a years-long effort to introduce the amendment.

Article 1 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands already prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, religion, philosophy, political preference, or “on any other grounds.”

The vote, which took place in January, means that the Constitution will almost definitely be amended to include the aforementioned protections.

“LGBTI rights are finally proudly mentioned in Article 1 and are no longer hidden,” said COC Nederland Chair Astrid Oosenbrug. “And being enshrined in the Constitution is a guarantee that we will still be able to enjoy our hard-won rights in fifty or a hundred years’ time. That we will still be able to marry, raise children and be protected against discrimination. Even if the political or social winds unexpectedly shift against the rainbow community.”

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LGBTQ+ advocacy group COC, which has advocated for giving LGBTQ+ rights constitutional protection since 2004, described the vote as a “historic victory for the rainbow community” and thanked politicians for passing it.

Astrid Oosenbrug, COC’s chair, continued: “It was an emotional moment when the Senate this afternoon, after all these years, voted in favour of Constitutional recognition by a large majority.

“At last, LGBTI+ rights are proudly mentioned in Article 1 and are no longer concealed.”

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