In her deeply personal and candid memoir, (Over)leven: mijn strijd als transvrouw, arts en politica (Surviving to Live: My Struggle as a Trans Woman, Doctor and Politician) — Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter invites readers into the private chambers of her soul. Co-authored with journalist Elke Lahousse, the book is not only a narrative of transformation, but a philosophical reflection on resilience, identity, and the ethical frontiers of science and society.
For decades, De Sutter lived with a secret. A renowned fertility specialist and professor at Ghent University, she was celebrated in the medical community, yet her personal truth remained hidden, she was a woman living in a man’s body. It wasn’t until the age of forty that Petra chose to live authentically and begin her transition. This book is her testimony of survival, liberation, and growth.
She writes with remarkable vulnerability about the psychological toll of living in the wrong body, the childhood confusion, the adult anguish, and the inner dialogue that ultimately led to her decision: “I didn’t want to survive anymore — I wanted to live.”
The memoir takes us through the defining chapters of her life: her struggles with gender dysphoria, her professional accomplishments as a gynaecologist and specialist in reproductive medicine, and her groundbreaking political career. De Sutter became the first openly transgender Belgian candidate on a party election list in 2014, the first transgender minister in Europe in 2020, and an unshakable advocate for LGBTQ rights, gender equality, and reproductive freedom.
But (Over)leven is more than autobiography, it is a manifesto of compassion. De Sutter courageously revisits her past not to indulge in it, but to expose the truth that too many still feel compelled to hide. With every page, she reclaims space for people who feel like outsiders in their own skin.
The book also grapples with complex questions at the intersection of science and ethics. As one of Europe’s leading fertility experts, De Sutter raises timely concerns about the limits of human intervention: “Should there be boundaries to how far we go in creating life?” Her dual role as a scientist and policymaker allows her to reflect on the responsibility of politics in regulating the brave new world of biotechnology.
What makes Petra’s story especially moving is her consistent humility. In my 2014 interview with her on Heroines of My Life, she said, “Being visible is not always easy, but I feel it is necessary. If I, with all my privileges, do not speak up — who will?” That sense of responsibility radiates through every page of her memoir.
Petra De Sutter stands tall as a woman, a partner, a parent, a scientist, and a public servant. (Over)leven is a triumphant ode to becoming, a reminder that surviving is only the first step. Living, in its fullest, most unashamed form, is the real revolution.
Other publications about Petra de Sutter:
Post a Comment