Sexist lecture stirs Belgian university

Politicians reacted to Hoeyberghs’ statements on Twitter

This video of a Belgian plastic surgeon inspired more than 500 complaints from fellow doctors to the country's Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. Jeff Hoeyberghs made the sexist, misogynistic, homophobic remarks at Ghent University where he was invited to speak by an ultra-conservative student group called Katholiek Vlaams Hoogstudentenverbond (KVHV). The student group later defended Hoeyberghs’s remarks on the basis of free speech.

What he said during the lecture

Several fragments of the lecture were filmed and put on Facebook by the feminist Campagne ROSA organisation and provoked a great deal of indignation on social media. He made statements like “Women want the privileges of male protection and money, but they do not want to open their legs anymore”, “We have given women dishwashing machines and cleaning ladies, until they themselves became superfluous” and “You cannot treat a woman like an equal without becoming her slave”. In the same lecture, he said that women were not suitable to become scientist, as they always let emotions get in their way, according to him.

Refusal to apologize

The organization itself has only filed a complaint with the Order of Doctors, who will discuss the incident on the Limburg Provincial Council on 20 January, according to Allemaal Van Belang. Numerous other politicians, including both the Federal and Flemish Minister for Equal Opportunities, Nathalie Muylle and Bart Somers respectively, reacted to Hoeyberghs’ statements on Twitter. The plastic surgeon only posted a meme, that has since been removed, saying “I am not sexist. Sexism is wrong. and being wrong is for women” to his Facebook page to react to the commotion around his statements and his lecture.

Brut.