The Municipality of Delft must enter into and/or continue to discuss with civil society organizations about reducing LGBT discrimination. Good steps have already been taken in this regard. For example, Corporate Social Responsibility is a municipal spearhead. CDA: 'Talk to each other is indeed important.'

On the beautiful spring afternoon of March 8, about thirty interested parties gathered in the DWH society to talk to representatives of all parties participating in the Delft municipal elections in 2014. Those delegates are having a hard time. Not only because they are presented with provocative questions and difficult choices, but also because they almost melt from the heat on the small stage.

Outside
Delft is a student city. Not all students are equally friendly towards LGBT people. Student party STIP is committed to changing this. 'The conversation is getting underway in the corpora', says party leader Anne Viruly. 'We are happy about that. Delft also attracts students from cultures where it is not self-evident to express your sexual orientation. Outsite, the youth association of DWH, is doing good things in this area.' In this context, Jabco Vreugdenhil of the Christenunie refers to Contrario, the Christian version of COC and DWH. 'We think it is important to connect gays and straights.'

Pink elderly salons
But there are also pink elderly living in Delft. What about their interests? None of the residential care facilities of care organization Pieter van Foreest has a Pink Carpet. Sjef van Put of the Delft Elderly Party DOP: 'I'm going to talk to Pieter van Foreest, I think they should have such a quality mark.' GroenLinks candidate and current alderman for Participation and Sustainable Development Stephan Brandligt thinks it is a bit silly to judge the institutions on whether or not they have a Pink Carpet. 'Pieter van Foreest does organize pink elderly salons. The conversation about LGBT topics is actively encouraged.' A discussion ignites about the usefulness of a Pink Carpet, if the nursing homes are closed in the long term. VVD candidate Bart Smals: 'There will still be elderly people in need, so a Pink Carpet remains necessary.' Kim Huijpen of D66: 'The client must have freedom of choice when it comes to domestic help. The municipality should keep that in mind when tendering.' SP candidate Tom Zonneveld: 'You can count on me. But there is less and less money.' Attention should also be paid to this subject in daytime activities, says PvdA candidate Anco Sesselaar. 'You sometimes see that people are excluded from clover jackets.'

boxes
From the public comes the call to stop granting subsidies to religious organizations that have anti-gay views. The candidates present do not recognize the problem. 'We do not subsidize organizations that preach homophobia', say GroenLinks and STIP. Jan Peter de Wit of Independent Delft says that Christian parties do receive subsidies. 'These parties are homophobic.' Milène Junius (CDA) and Vreugdenhil (CU) react strongly to this: 'That is a ridiculous insinuation.' Fatima of the Party for Social and Social Renewal comes from the Muslim world. She also feels addressed. 'Islam doesn't force anyone to be gay or straight. Homophobia has nothing to do with religion. We have to respect each other.' Smals (VVD): 'Sexual preference is an expression of the individual, religion does not matter.' Junius (CDA): 'It is about connection. Individualism has gone too far.' Aad Meuleman of Stadsbelangen: 'We shouldn't pigeonhole each other. We represent the interests of everyone.'

Subsidy
Finally, the question arises whether Delft will continue to allocate resources for gay policy after the Koploper subsidy has expired. That turns out to be a tricky point. GroenLinks does not want to automatically provide money to gay organizations. 'Anything that only works with subsidies is not sustainable. Some projects can be taken up by other parties.' That other party could very well be DWH. Viruly (STIP): 'We will not subsidize all activities. But if DWH carries out a project at our request, there will of course be money for it.'