MEET
BRUNO DE LILLE
Brussellover, husband, dad, LGBTI+, doer, cyclist, education, comic book lover, femanist, radio, West-Flemish, Greeter, fitness, superhero movies, Coke zero …
BRUNO DE LILLE
I’m a doer …
“I have a great sense of justice and I’m a doer. So when I see things that are not as they should be, I want to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Moreover, I think that you have to tackle the abuses in a structured way. Whether it comes to matters like discrimination, traffic safety, air pollution or young people dropping out of school, you shouldn’t help people in exchange for a little gratitude. You have to improve the system so that people no longer have to beg for things they are actually entitled to.
This is why I became a student representative on the school council at a young age, was active in LGBT youth movements, became involved in Brussels politics (Agalev/Groen), and am now the head of a large group of schools and kindergartens.
I was fortunate to be able to put my expertise, creativity and drive into it every time, which allowed me to do my work with full enthusiasm.
This is my story …
“When I was 18, I came to study in Brussels. I eventually fell in love with the city and made it my home. But it wasn’t blind love – my love for Brussels had to grow. In the beginning everything seems attractive and exciting, and there was so much going on here. Especially for a student who comes from the ever-quiet Wevelgem, it seems as if the city is always in motion, as if there is always something to do, always a party somewhere.
But after a while I also came in contact with the less pleasant aspects of Brussels. I was attacked once, and I was also hit in the face – just like that, for no reason at all. I started to feel unsafe here and when I got the chance to finish my studies in Antwerp, I moved to Antwerp.
“The strange thing was that I quickly became homesick in Antwerp. But I wasn’t pining for West Flanders; I was pining for Brussels. Was it because Brussels is much more of a real city, bigger and more cosmopolitan as well? Or because in the end I had the feeling that I was more welcome there and that I could help build the city? In Brussels, you get the impression that everyone comes from elsewhere, which means that no one can claim the city. It doesn’t belong to anyone, so it belongs to everyone. Whatever be the reason, I returned to Brussels after completing my studies. Maybe it didn’t make much sense at the time, because I was working in Kortrijk and could have just gone back to live in Wevelgem.
But I had found my love. And because it wasn’t a coup de foudre but a conscious choice, I don’t get so discouraged anymore. There are difficult moments in any relationship but if instead of running away you fight together to overcome them, the relationship often becomes even more worthwhile. Well, that is the feeling I have now when I choose Brussels. Will it last? You never know. But I feel very much at home here.
Opinions & Encounters
Opinion pieces, columns or chats with committed citizens … find it all right here.
‘Ziet Yvan Mayeur Brussel als een gevangenis voor arme mensen die misschien ooit zullen vertrekken?’ (Knack.be)
Burgemeester Yvan Mayeur wil van het centrum van Brussel een shoppingmall plus parking maken voor de rijke klanten uit Ukkel. En de Brusselaars zelf? Die moeten maar tevreden zijn met de kruimels die de rijke shoppers laten vallen. Bruno De Lille en Bart Dhondt van Groen zijn het daar niet mee eens.
De Brusselse burgemeester Yvan Mayeur (PS) verklaarde afgelopen zaterdag tijdens de Brussels Summer University dat de stad Brussel wel degelijk nog steeds van plan is 4 extra ondergrondse parkings in het stadscentrum aan te leggen. De PS-sp.a zet zich daarmee volledig én openlijk op de lijn van haar MR-VLD coalitiegenoten.
Gelovigen uit de kast laten komen (Zizo-online.be)
Wellicht heb je de ‘coming-out’-video van Catholic Vote naar aanleiding van de openstelling van het huwelijk in heel de VS intussen al gezien: zes Amerikaanse katholieken die het gevoel hebben dat ze hun gelovige standpunten niet meer mogen uiten. En ook in België hoor je dat discours steeds vaker: katholieken zouden hun katholiek zijn niet meer openlijk mogen beleven. Op deredactie.be deed Kolet Janssen onlang nog de oproep: “Gelovigen, kom uit de kast !”.
Iedereen mag blijkbaar “zichzelf” zijn behalve de katholieken. Volgens mevrouw Janssen word je uitgelachen als je durft zeggen dat je op zondag om 11 uur naar de mis gaat en kan een sacramentsprocessie duidelijk op minder …
Mijn ouders zijn homo, wat nu? (Zizo-online.be)
Enkele jaren geleden maakten we een familie-uitstapje naar het Afrikamuseum in Tervuren. In één van de zalen stonden menselijke skeletten. Mijn zoon, die toen net had leren lezen, probeerde de Latijnse namen op de bordjes ernaast te ontcijferen. En dus vroeg hij: “Papa, wat betekent Homo Sapiens?”. We legden hem uit dat dat een andere naam was voor ‘de mens’. Hij bekeek ons en zei: “Nu begrijp ik het, jullie zijn de Homo’s en ik ben de Sapiens.”.
Een grapje natuurlijk dat hij zelf nog het leukst van al vond. Maar tegelijk zei hij ons op dat ogenblik ook nog iets anders. Namelijk dat wij dan wel homo konden zijn maar dat hij zich daar niet automatisch in herkende. …
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Biography
Bruno De Lille was born in 1973 in Kortrijk, West Flanders, but after spending time in Brussels as a student, he fell in love with the city and decided to live and work there.
Bruno started his professional life in the late ‘90s as an editor and later as a presenter/producer at Radio 2.
In 1998 he became a member of Agalev (later renamed as Groen). Two years later, thanks to the municipal elections of 8th October 2000, he became Brussels’ Deputy Mayor for Flemish Affairs, Equal Opportunities and International Solidarity.
After the municipal elections at the end of 2006, the Greens ceased to be a part of the Brussels City board. Bruno was re-elected in 2006 and 2012, and served as a municipal councillor until he handed over the torch at the end of March 2013.
Thanks to an intense campaign for the regional elections in June 2009 with Bruno De Lille as the leader of the list, Groen doubled its seats in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. Groen joined the Brussels government and the VGC-college and Bruno De Lille was nominated by the party as Secretary of State for Mobility, Public Service, Equal Opportunities & Administrative Simplification. As a board member of the Flemish Community Commission (VGC), Bruno De Lille took charge of Culture, Youth, Sports & Civil Service.
In the elections of May 2014, Groen increased its share of votes from 11% to almost 18% on the Dutch-speaking side. Once again, a new seat was added, as a result of which the party now had no less than 3 Members of Parliament in Brussels. However, the government was ultimately formed as a coalition of mainly losing parties, and Groen ended up in the opposition. As leader of the Green Group, Bruno De Lille gave the opposition an intense but constructive voice.
In October 2018, from the last place on the Ecolo-Green list, Bruno was again directly elected in the Brussels municipal council. Ecolo-Groen is now part of the local majority and enters the City Board.
With the elections of May 2019, Bruno De Lille has bid adieu to active politics as a list pusher for the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.
Since 1 September 2020, he has been General Director of the non-profit association Sint Goedele Brussel, which at the time included 11 kindergartens, 17 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and an adult education centre.
This is my story …
“When I was 18, I came to study in Brussels. I eventually fell in love with the city and made it my home. But it wasn’t blind love – my love for Brussels had to grow. In the beginning everything seems attractive and exciting, and there was so much going on here. Especially for a student who comes from the ever-quiet Wevelgem, it seems as if the city is always in motion, as if there is always something to do, always a party somewhere.
But after a while I also came in contact with the less pleasant aspects of Brussels. I was attacked once, and I was also hit in the face – just like that, for no reason at all. I started to feel unsafe here and when I got the chance to finish my studies in Antwerp, I moved to Antwerp.
“The strange thing was that I quickly became homesick in Antwerp. But I wasn’t pining for West Flanders; I was pining for Brussels. Was it because Brussels is much more of a real city, bigger and more cosmopolitan as well? Or because in the end I had the feeling that I was more welcome there and that I could help build the city? In Brussels, you get the impression that everyone comes from elsewhere, which means that no one can claim the city. It doesn’t belong to anyone, so it belongs to everyone. Whatever be the reason, I returned to Brussels after completing my studies. Maybe it didn’t make much sense at the time, because I was working in Kortrijk and could have just gone back to live in Wevelgem.
But I had found my love. And because it wasn’t a coup de foudre but a conscious choice, I don’t get so discouraged anymore. There are difficult moments in any relationship but if instead of running away you fight together to overcome them, the relationship often becomes even more worthwhile. Well, that is the feeling I have now when I choose Brussels. Will it last? You never know. But I feel very much at home here.
A heart for Brussels …
I am the General Director of Sint Goedele Brussels, a non-profit organisation covering 11 kindergartens, 17 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and an adult education centre.
For the first 20 years of my career, I mainly helped shape Brussels as a City Councillor, Member of Parliament, Deputy Mayor and Secretary of State. I took up each of these roles with enthusiasm and energy. And no matter how difficult it was, I was always happy to do it – because in politics you have an impact and can potentially improve the lives of a lot of people.
But after 20 years of serving Brussels, it was time for me to pass the torch. And so I’m devoting my expertise, my creativity and my drive to that wonderful Brussels educational network.
In my spare time I am an active LGBTI+ activist. If you want me as a speaker or panel member, or if you just want to debate about Equal Opportunities / Rights for LGBTI+ persons, I will be happy to start the conversation.
Opinions & Encounters
Opinion pieces, columns or chats with committed citizens … find it all right here.
We zijn Charlie, we zijn Ahmed …
Ik ben Charlie omdat de vrijheid van meningsuiting een van de fundamenten is van onze democratische maatschappij. Ik ben ook Ahmed omdat die deze vrijheid met zijn eigen leven verdedigde zelfs al was hij het wellicht niet altijd eens met de meningen van Charlie Hebdo.
“Eigen Volk Eerst” heeft gewonnen
“Eigen Volk Eerst” heeft dan toch gewonnen. Het Vlaams Belang is niet in de regering geraakt maar haar ideeën zijn blijkbaar wel door de Vlaamse regeringspartijen overgenomen in de discussie over de toegang tot het Nederlandstalig (secundair) onderwijs in Brussel. Vanaf nu moeten de ouders van kinderen die naar die scholen willen, namelijk bewijzen dat ze goed Nederlands spreken. Kunnen ze dat niet dan moeten die kinderen maar hopen dat er nog een plaatsje vrijkomt. Zelfs al zitten die kinderen al 6 jaar in het Nederlandstalig basisonderwijs! Dit wordt goedgepraat door te stellen “dat er nu eenmaal plaatsen te kort zijn in het Nederlandstalig onderwijs in Brussel en dat er dus wel moet gekozen worden. Bovendien is het toch logisch dat kinderen van Nederlandstalige ouders voorrang krijgen? Als mensen geen moeite willen doen om Nederlands te leren, waarom zouden wij ze dan moeten ondersteunen?” En zo wast de politiek zijn handen in onschuld. Laat me toe deze “logische” uitspraken wat bij te stellen.
‘De Brusselse vlag vervangen door een emoticon is een dure vergissing’ (Knack.be)
'Je doet een vlag oneer aan door ze aan te passen aan de heersende mode', schrijven Bruno De Lille en Arnaud Verstraete. Zij roepen de Brusselse regering op om de vlag van het Brussels Gewest onveranderd te laten. Kent u de vlag van het Brussels Gewest? Het is een...
Weest solidair met den autorijdende Brusseleir …
De Brusselse VLD-schepen voor mobiliteit zou gezegd hebben “dat ze weet dat er bewoners van het centrum zijn die geen auto hebben maar dat ze die vraagt om solidair te zijn met hen die er wel een hebben”. Het toppunt van wereldvreemdheid dus. De Brusselaars zonder auto zijn namelijk al heel erg solidair met hun autorijdende stadsgenoten. Niet alleen staan ze plaats af, ze doen zelf moeite om zich anders te verplaatsen én ze nemen de luchtvervuiling er bij. Nog meer solidariteit durven eisen, getuigt van een wereldvreemdheid die zeldzaam is geworden. Lees hier meer …
Biography
Bruno De Lille was born in 1973 in Kortrijk, West Flanders, but after spending time in Brussels as a student, he fell in love with the city and decided to live and work there.
Bruno started his professional life in the late ‘90s as an editor and later as a presenter/producer at Radio 2.
In 1998 he became a member of Agalev (later renamed as Groen). Two years later, thanks to the municipal elections of 8th October 2000, he became Brussels’ Deputy Mayor for Flemish Affairs, Equal Opportunities and International Solidarity.
After the municipal elections at the end of 2006, the Greens ceased to be a part of the Brussels City board. Bruno was re-elected in 2006 and 2012, and served as a municipal councillor until he handed over the torch at the end of March 2013.
Thanks to an intense campaign for the regional elections in June 2009 with Bruno De Lille as the leader of the list, Groen doubled its seats in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. Groen joined the Brussels government and the VGC-college and Bruno De Lille was nominated by the party as Secretary of State for Mobility, Public Service, Equal Opportunities & Administrative Simplification. As a board member of the Flemish Community Commission (VGC), Bruno De Lille took charge of Culture, Youth, Sports & Civil Service.
In the elections of May 2014, Groen increased its share of votes from 11% to almost 18% on the Dutch-speaking side. Once again, a new seat was added, as a result of which the party now had no less than 3 Members of Parliament in Brussels. However, the government was ultimately formed as a coalition of mainly losing parties, and Groen ended up in the opposition. As leader of the Green Group, Bruno De Lille gave the opposition an intense but constructive voice.
In October 2018, from the last place on the Ecolo-Green list, Bruno was again directly elected in the Brussels municipal council. Ecolo-Groen is now part of the local majority and enters the City Board.
With the elections of May 2019, Bruno De Lille has bid adieu to active politics as a list pusher for the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.
Since 1 September 2020, he has been General Director of the non-profit association Sint Goedele Brussel, which at the time included 11 kindergartens, 17 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and an adult education centre.