May 4, 2017

“During the National Commemoration, we commemorate all – civilians and military personnel – who were killed or murdered in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or anywhere else in the world, since the outbreak of the Second World War and thereafter in war situations and during peace operations.”

Here, at the International Gay Monument, we also commemorate the LGBTI fellow citizens who lost their lives during the 40-45 occupation. The memorial is a visible sign of the struggle for recognition of equal rights and against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

For the years 2016 – 2020, the national committee has chosen 4 and 5 May as the motto for this commemoration: Pass on freedom.

Our commemoration here this year has the theme of trust.

Trust plays an important role in, for example, family ties, relationships, within companies and social groups. But not least in our society and in government.

LGBTI people in the Netherlands can now rely on the support of a government that fully supports them. This has been fought hard in the past. But we still have to work on safeguarding this trust, even where this is LITERALLY violated in our society.

Examples of this are still vivid in our minds.

Hand in hand and together.

Trust is also a concept that you can expect within your own family. Trust that you can be who you are and what you are while maintaining your self-esteem as a full member of your family. And isn't that so; then look around you, look at your friends!

Your own chosen family. Friends who accept you for what you are and not who you should be in their eyes. A commonly used English word for this is Chosen Family.

That is not for everyone. In many countries, coming out to your family is equivalent to exclusion, sometimes resulting in death. Many LGBTI people there choose to lead a heteronormative life for their families and deny and thereby suppress their own nature and needs. This self-denial is completely at odds with today's thought: pass on freedom.

Pass on the freedom to accept yourself.

Pass it on; with the support of the government and everyone around you.

It is normal to walk hand in hand with each other; it is normal to kiss each other in the street and it is very normal to come out for love for each other.

It is normal that we pass on our freedom. That is what has been fought for and that is what we are here for.

The COC Haaglanden stands for equality and emancipation, so that everyone can fully participate and develop to their full potential, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sex characteristics. We find that very normal, but it is still necessary and necessary to fight for this.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your presence and to express my deep appreciation to everyone who makes this commemoration possible.

[ngg_images source = ”galleries” container_ids = ”11 ″ display_type =” photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails ”override_thumbnail_settings =” 0 ″ thumbnail_width = ”120 ″ thumbnail_height =” 90 ″ thumbnail_crop = ”1 ″ images_per_page =" 28 ″ number " = ”0 ″ show_all_in_lightbox =” 0 ″ use_imagebrowser_effect = ”0 ″ show_slideshow_link =” 0 ″ slideshow_link_text = ”[Show slideshow]” order_by = ”sortorder” order_direction = ”ASC” returns = ”included” maximum_entity_count "]