News item | 26-01-2024 | 14:13
The term ‘hetero- or homosexual orientation’ in the General Equal Treatment Act (Awgb) and the Criminal Code (WvSr) will be changed to ‘sexual orientation’. This is stated in the bill that was sent to the House of Representatives at the proposal of Minister De Jonge of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and also on behalf of Minister Yeşilgöz of Justice and Security. The Awgb offers protection to people who are discriminated against. With this amendment, the Awgb and the WvSr are in line with an earlier amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution.
The reason for the change is that the current concepts are outdated. The term ‘sexual orientation’ is more general and better reflects social developments and internationally accepted concepts.
It is also added to the WvSr that discrimination on the basis of gender also includes discrimination or discrimination on the basis of sexual characteristics, gender identity and gender expression. This is already stated in the Awgb and the WvSr is now in line with this.
The amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution entered into force in February 2023. The article then added the grounds of sexual orientation, among other things. This constitutional amendment resulted from an initiative by the House of Representatives. By amending the Awgb and WvSr, they are brought into line with the Constitution.
The bill will now be discussed by the House of Representatives. The bill will then go to the Senate before it can come into effect.