Theo Francken, Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum, Migration and Administrative Simplification, has posted some homophobic and transphobic comments on his Facebook page.
In a post appeared on 26 August, Francken shared an article in Dutch.
The headline reads ‘Nu ook sexy lingerie voor mannen’, which translates to ‘Now sexy lingerie for men’.
‘Is the world turning or is it just me?’
The original post, later deleted. | Photo: franckentheo/Facebook via vrt.be
The secretary, part of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA, commented the article in his post.
‘Men who wear makeup, who pluck eyebrows, wear lingerie, wear a bag, become pregnant…,’ he wrote.
‘Is the world turning or is it just me?’
‘Long live the men who don’t need all this kind of crap to feel good. But to all those who do need this or who like this, don’t feel insulted or attacked, it’s nothing personal. Be free.’
He also clarified he is not against LGBTI rights.
‘And no I’m not against gay rights, I have been fighting for them for years. This has nothing to do with LGBTI, but everything with the disproportionate attention for a marginal phenomenon. 98% of the men don’t need this news.’
He signed off with a rainbow flag emoji.
Francken deleted the post
After several attempts at editing the post, Francken has now deleted it.
According to news website vrt.be, the secretary received the backing from N-VA ‘s leader Bart De Wever.
De Wever said that ‘this is not the party’s view on the matter, but it’s his opinion and everyone is free to express his or her opinion.’
He also added he sees no reason for Francken to apologize.
However, the president of the Flemish greens, Meyrem Almaci, has asked Prime Minister Charles Michel to reprimand Francken. She argued that his posts can trigger anti-LGBTI violence.
This Belgian LGBTI rights group demands a formal apology
Cavaria, the Belgian organization defending the interests of LGBTIs, has also asked Francken to apologize. But that didn’t happen.
GSN has reached out to both Cavaria and Theo Francken for further comments.
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