A Queer tour of Amsterdam

Today (10/06/2019) we made our first trip into the city of Amsterdam with Jonathan, the centre director who gave a very insightful walking tour. We learned about dutch architecture and the reasons for buildings being so close to one another in Amsterdam, we saw some boathouses, came across a beautiful botanical garden and saw the king and queen's palace in the very heart of Amsterdam. Jonathan's walking tour was special in the sense that he offered a queer perspective of some spaces in the city we passed through. We learned about when and where the law changed in the Netherlands allowing same-sex couples to get married in 2001 - being the first country in the world to allow for this.

After we visited the city hall of Amsterdam where this all took place, we made our way to the Homomonument (Gay Monument) where Jonathan asked all of us to take a look around and come up with our analysis of what the monument means. The Homomonument symbolizes the long road of gay emancipation in the Netherlands and far beyond. It consists of three triangles of Rosa Porino Granite that together form one large triangle. The three triangles represent the past, present and future. The monuments was created to commemorate everyone who was murdered or prosecuted (and is still being) for their sexual preference and / or identity. Here the freedom to be who we are is celebrated. The monument is a call for vigilance for the present and the future.

For many of us, the experience of learning more about this monument is a great take away as it teaches us not only about history but also about how we can work together to create better today's and tomorrow's. Considering all the great things we saw, talked about and thought about, we are beyond excited for what is still to come!