The Dutch Senate has approved a change to the country’s constitution, explicitly banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and disability. Previously, Article 1 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands only forbade discrimination on the basis of religion, philosophy, political preference, race, gender, and “on any other grounds.” The amendment was developed over a 12 year period by coalition party Democrats 66 and opposition parties the Labour Party and GroenLinks, and was the last step in a long process.
The amendment passed through the Dutch Parliament in 2020, with campaigners publishing an open letter calling for LGBTQ+ rights to be anchored in Article 1. This latest change was described as a “historic victory for the rainbow community” by Astrid Oosenbrug, chair of LGBTQ+ group COC Netherlands. “At last, LGBTI+ rights are proudly mentioned in Article 1 and are no longer concealed,” Oosenbrug stated.
Illya Soffer, CEO and director of Ieder(in), an organisation representing people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in the country, called the inclusion of disability rights in Article 1 “historic news.” Soffer noted that disabled people often experience discrimination and exclusion, adding that the amendment is “badly needed.” Laura Bromet of GroenLinks said the change was “an important step forward in combating discrimination,” while Labour member Habtamu de Hoop stated that “a disability, or who you fall in love with, should never be a reason to be excluded.”
