During commemoration, minister calls for dialogue and understanding, with respect and space for each other

The Hague, 4 May 2019

The commemoration on 4 May 2019 was the twenty-fifth at the International Gay Monument in The Hague on the Koekamp. Two-minute silence at eight o'clock in memory of those who fell for our freedom, for LGBT people who were persecuted or oppressed during the Second World War and especially for all LGBT people who have been victims of injustice since that time, wherever in the world.

About 250 people were present at the impressive ceremony, in which, dressed with beautiful songs by choirs De Heksenketel, Vox Rosa and Men's fever, two speeches were given by Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven of Education, Culture and Science and by Harry Derksen, chairman of the International Gay Monument Foundation The Hague.

Minister Van Engelshoven recalled that even after the fall of the Nazi regime in 1945, gays and lesbians were arrested, persecuted and discriminated against: "There is little more destructive to hope than the moment when you thinks the horror is over… and turns out it isn't." in:"In the Netherlands, homosexuality did not disappear from the Dutch Code until 1971Criminal law." The minister pointed out that violence and intimidation of LGBTI persons is still the order of the day in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Van Engelshoven decided that the fear of being yourself is only history when no one is shocked anymore when he takes the hand of his loved one.

"We envision a pitch-black period. Through the lens of those dark years, we look at today. We have been doing that here for 25 years. And we will continue to do so.”

Ingrid van Engelshoven, May 4, 2019

The chairman of the International Gay Monument Foundation in The Hague, Harry Derksen, also argued for a stronger dialogue within society on this memorable twenty-fifth commemoration. "We must gain social acceptance by cultivating understanding among those who do not yet have that understanding." Although there is of course reason to be happy about the support among large parts of society, LGBTI people should take their responsibility to contribute more themselves, by speaking out about abuses and also starting a conversation with others. . About their shared interests, without leaving behind those who find it difficult to take on that fight themselves, for example because they are too old or too young. "More extensive information in schools is one of the means of entering into a dialogue with young people, the group that needs that conversation the most."

Derksen concluded by thanking the Minister of Education, Culture and Science for the willingness and support expressed in her speech, also on behalf of the government, for the LGBTI community in the ongoing struggle for social equality.

Report by Jurgen Schouten

Below are the speeches:

Speech by Minister Van Engelshoven at the International Gay Monument, 4 May 2019

Speech by the chairman of the International Gay Monument Foundation The Hague, commemoration 4 May 2019

[ngg src = "galleries" ids = "17 ″ display =" basic_thumbnail "]

You cannot reply to this post

Older posts