Two Belgian cities rank in the top ten for acceptance of the LGBTQ community in the Wellbeing Index, a ranking of 77 major cities around the world in order of their liveability based on 15 factors.
The Index was made based on a study produced by Fitbit, and takes into account living costs, childcare costs, monthly salary, youth unemployment, city innovation, gender equality, safety, LGBTQ acceptance, healthcare quality, happiness, mental health, vegan friendliness, green spaces, CO2 emissions and traffic.
For acceptance of the LGBTQ community, Brussels was ranked in ninth place, and Ghent right behind it, both with a score of 9/10.
The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, is the best place to live for LGBTQ people, getting a score of 10/10 thanks to "full legal equality as well as strong representation in parliament and the media," according to the survey. Second and third place go to the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, both with a 9.8/10.
The worst cities to live in for LGBTQ acceptance according to the survey is Jakarta, in Indonesia, with a score of 0/10, and Moscow, in Russia, with 0.24/10. However, many of the worst countries for LGBTQ rights were not included in the study, according to Gay Times Magazine.
In terms of overall wellbeing, Belgium does not do well, according to the results of the index. Ghent only ranks 37th and Brussels 48th of the 77 major cities around the world that took part.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
