Protected classes as a legal concept in the US is two lists, one federal and then state law. In that context you are either on either of them or you are not, and depending on the answer you get certain protections.

In EU there is no such list. Anti-discrimination law is quite a bit broader here, but so is also the exceptions.

Please enhance your understanding, your world will be richer for it:

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Privilege#Privilege_blindness

Please go back and re-read what I said.

I was talking about protections, not privileges. The protected classes are the only ones that are actually protected by law. The fact that other groups (white, male, etc) benefit from privileges are a reason for there being protected classes, but they are not the same thing at all.

That backfired. Hopefully, your world is richer because he corrected your misunderstanding.