Respect for gay rights is big in Belgium

Belgium is, after the UK, the European country where the rights of gays and lesbians are most respected, according to a report from ILGA-Europe, the organisation that represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans- and intersex people at the European level. "The political will to combat homophobia and transphobia remains strong at all levels,” ILGA said about Belgium in the report.

ILGA-Europe examined 49 European countries and gave each a score from 0 to 100 points, with respect to gay rights. The organisation looked at whether gay marriage is legal and whether there are laws against homophobia and discrimination in the workplace.

Belgium took second place in the ranking with 78 points, 11 more than in the same study in 2013. The UK is in the lead with 82 points, five points more than last year, when it also led the rankings. Spain is in third place (73 points), followed by the Netherlands (70) and Norway (68). Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia complete the bottom of the list with only 6, 7 and 9 points respectively.