the organisors of this year's Amsterdam Pride made it known in advance that the annual gay and lesbian celebrations would have a more serious and political aspect than previous editions, and the popular Canal Parade would also include a larger number of boats highlighting more 'substantial' issues.
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A long trail of gaily decorated boats passing down Amsterdam's canals. On board: men and women, some of them dressed extravagantly, many of the men half-naked. At first sight, this year's Gay Pride parade seemed no different to those of previous years. But due to a number of factors, including an increase in violent attacks against gay men, this year's event was more politically charged than ever before.
 Passengers on the special boat for young homosexuals - and some of their parents were on the boat too. (Photo by Hugo Copes) |
Several hours before the 70 boats taking part in this year's gay Canal Parade set off, television crews began to fight for the best spots. Fourteen-year-old Danny Hoekzema, a teenager with a dental brace and acne, was one of the stars of this year's event. More than that, Danny was about to realise his dream, for he's been lobbying for some three years for a boat for gay young people - under the age of 16 - to take part in this annual even. His friend Max has a simple explanation:
"The message is: there are a lot of young gays in the world and they are getting younger."Bored too
The second part of the message appears to be that these young homosexuals are bored stiff. They are too young to go to gay bars and no one is organising any other kinds of activities for this specific group of young people. Max says he has no idea where to meet other gay boys of his age, even assuming that others like him would even dare to "come out" (i.e. tell the world they are gay). He says that this is a step which is and remains a very difficult for young people.
Whilst the cameras of CNN and the BBC were filming Danny, Max and the other others, Frank van Dalen, secretary of the COC gay rights organisation, looked on in pride. The city of Amsterdam only agreed to give the youths a permit for the boat when their parents promised to take part in the parade as well. It was not only a victory, but also a brighter moment in what Frank van Dalen sees as a less than positive time:
Hand in hand
And Frank van Dalen isn't just talking about men or women French kissing in public, but just about walking hand-in-hand or a greeting kiss. That's not all. Recently in Amsterdam, long considered a gay-friendly city, gays have been beaten up on a regular basis.
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Van Dalen says that Dutch society is looking for a way to get all minorities to live together. Unfortunately, small groups of youths from minority groups attempt to prove their masculinity by picking on gays. Which is why this year's Gay Parade had more boats with a political message. There was a boat with judges and mayors, Amnesty International, politicians, the municipality of Amsterdam, and even a boat full of pro-gay heterosexuals. Van Dalen says they all had the same message: "Keep your hands off our gays".
Verbal violence
Selcuk Akinci, a gay youth of Dutch-Turkish parents, has never been attacked personally. However, he knows some older people who have been the target of verbal attacks in their Amsterdam neighbourhoods. He says the Netherlands is becoming increasingly right-wing:
He also says he had problems with his 'coming out'. He no longer has contact with his Turkish father. However, his Dutch mother was more tolerant.
As Saturday's canal parade got truly underway, however, politics soon slipped from most people's mind. The massive and mixed crowd along the canals gazed at the dancers on the boats, some clad in latex, some in leather, many more in futuristic costumes, and at the inevitable number of gay men who are more than happy to show the world that they've spent a great deal of time at the gym and on a sun bed.
* RNW translation (fs)
Tags: Amsterdam, boats, canal, Danny, gay, Hoekzema, homosexual, images, lesbian, lesbians, parade, photos, pride, rights, teenage, teenagers, under 16, violence, youth