LGBTI blog

#020today The Gays of Our Lives

De komende weken kleurt de stad in alle kleuren van de regenboog: zaterdag 23 juli start EuroPride 2016. Het museum is al sinds november 2015 bezig met het organiseren van allerlei activiteiten en draagt dan ook met trots de naam van festivalhart van de EuroPride. Twee weken lang transformeert het COC (Cultuur- en Ontspanningscentrum) de jongensbinnenplaats in de… lees verder »

Contemporary vision of the city

In 1997, this museum gave the artist Herman Gordijn the commission to paint ‘his’ Amsterdam, a modern view of the city. The result is a large tryptich with the Vondel Park, the Dam Square and a canal. lees verder »

Ellie’s display case

For the very first time, in August 2014, a Moroccan boat took part in the Canal Parade, the world famous feature of the yearly Gay Pride. Sexuality, and especially homosexuality, is still a difficult subject in many Moroccan families. lees verder »

An illustrious café

For years a famous cafe was established on Zeedijk. It was called Café ’t Mandje and was owned, since 1927, by Bet van Beeren. She was the eldest daughter of a family of twelve in the Jordaan, a working-class district in the city. She was a legendary publican. In her leather coat, she used to roar through the city on her motorbike, often with the newest female… lees verder »

"I am a woman and you cannot hold me back any longer."

This is Aaicha Bergamin’s fur coat. She was born in 1932 as a boy and had first-hand knowledge of how it was to grow up in an era in which transgender people could not be themselves. She became a well-known personality in the Red Light District and had, among other things, her own night club. lees verder »

Day of hearts

In some Amsterdam neighbourhoods, the ‘Day of Hearts’ is celebrated on the third Monday in August. In Dutch it is called ‘hartjesdag’. There are various explanations about the origin of the popular festival. It is a mixture of Carnival and Gay Pride where men dress up in women’s clothes and vice versa. lees verder »

Willem III: homosexual?

In the seventeenth century, William III had one of the most influential positions in The Dutch Republic and also became the King of England in 1688. lees verder »

World premiere: gaymarriage

On the First of April 2001, Amsterdam had a World First: the marriage of same sex couples. That night, three male couples and one female couple married. While the other couples put a wedding ring upon each other’s finger, Frank Wittebrood and Peter Lemke took a gold coloured ring off. With this they revealed their true wedding rings tattooed on their ring fingers. lees verder »

The coming-out of Johnny Jordaan

If you look through the window here, you will see the most famous twentieth century citizens of Amsterdam gathered together in a modern version of a 17th century civic guard portrait*.  Among others: the internationally renowned Anne Frank, Freddy Heineken and Johan Cruyff. lees verder »

Gay persecution and commemoration

The German occupying forces were a great danger to Amsterdam and to the many Jews who lived in the city. The attention given to the massive persecution of the Jews after the war ended, is greater than that given to other persecuted minorities such as the disabled, gypsies and homosexuals. The cruel acts committed against these people are sometimes forgotten in the… lees verder »

Living together as an couple of the same sex

The Building Association for obtaining Private Homes dates from 1868. It was the most productive cooperative society for improvement of public housing in the second half of the nineteenth century. lees verder »

How tolerant is Amsterdam actually?

"All who reside in The Netherlands, will be treated equally in equal circumstances. Discrimination on grounds of religion, life principles, political beliefs, race, sex or on any other grounds is prohibited”. lees verder »