ANNOUNCEMENTS•
Pride Amsterdam will have a new look next year. The event, which will be called Queer & Pride Amsterdam, lasts for thirteen days instead of nine and the content is in the hands of two organisations.
The first week, which starts on 22 July, is organized by Queer Amsterdam (QA), a new organization made up of different groups from the LGBTI+ community. The Pride Amsterdam Foundation (SPA), which has already organized the event for the last few years, is responsible for the last six days of the event.
“It will be much more diverse,” says QA’s Aynouk Tan. “We offer a stage for all voices and all variants in the field of sexuality and gender, but skin color and cultural background also play an important role.”
He’s been saying that for years discussion about what Pride should be like. This also emerges from EenVandaag’s annual survey of thousands of LGBT+ people. More than half said they were dissatisfied with the Canal Parade as it is now this year.
Not just for image
Incidentally, LGBTI+ people have a hard time with participating companies. They would do it solely to polish their image, while they are not committed to LGBTI+ rights outside of Pride.
The new interpretation of Pride, in which the visions of the two organizers coexist, is a response to this, says Tan’s colleague Sorab Roustayar. “Pride should be a means to equality, not the goal.” He points out that Queer Amsterdam is not against companies participating in Pride, but that within those companies there must also be an intention to fight for justice for the rest of the year.
Queer Amsterdam says it has listened carefully to a sounding board set up by the city of Amsterdam, made up of LGBTI+ people. It emerged that more attention should be paid to people of color and the trans community. “Not everyone feels safe being seen on a boat during Canal Pride,” says Tan. “There’s room for those groups too.”
Two weeks, two visions
The first week of Queer & Pride Amsterdam kicks off with the traditional Pride Walk. The following days will be marked by anti-discrimination and national and international solidarity, in which marginalized groups from the community play an important role. “We want to celebrate all identity variations,” Tan said.
The second week starts on August 1st. In that week the traditional Canal Parade takes place and the event concludes with the closing party in Dam Square on August 6th. Frans van der Avert, chairman of the board of SPA, said in a statement: “Stichting Pride Amsterdam believes that in order to grow further, you also need to be able to share. That’s why we are happy to now be able to give space to Queer Amsterdam together. while retaining all the good things about Pride Amsterdam.”