‘Azijnzeikers’ about rainbow zebra crossing leave Saskia cold: “Everyone can have an opinion”

The initiator herself has had an LGBTIQ+ flag in front of her shop for a while, but otherwise there is little visible in Enkhuizen. Saskia feels very proud that the colorful zebra crossing is finally here.

“A lot of sweet rainbow people come to my shop and I notice that it is still a struggle for many of them.” One of these ‘rainbow people’ is Chase (23) from Grootebroek, who is transgender. From an early age, Chase knew he was different from others.

“From kindergarten I was always different from the girls around me. I soon had short hair. I always wore boys’ clothes, so that was pretty clear to me.” As a child, Chase preferred to play with fire trucks rather than Barbies.

Mother Angela has always supported her child’s transition. “It was clear to us pretty quickly that Chase felt more young and that was of course completely fine.”

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‘Sturdy West Friesland’

For the LGBTIQ+ community, the rainbow zebra crossing means a bit of recognition. “I hope that people from the outside get more understanding about it,” Chase continues. Chase himself hasn’t had many bad experiences with his transition, but knows that less well-spoken people in the LGBTIQ+ community experience more anxiety.

The reactions that appeared after an earlier article about the rainbow zebra crossing don’t lie. Under the Facebook message are comments such as: ‘Flikker still man’, ‘drive nicely full throttle’ to ‘well, so we won’t go over that anymore. That exaggerated fuss.”

The initiator thinks it is a shame that people react this way to the crossing. “I think some people don’t understand what this means for the community,” says Saskia. “Of course everyone can have their own opinion. But usually it is: what they don’t know is a problem. That’s not a bad thing.”

Diversity tolerance

In addition to the negative reactions, there are also many people who do respond positively to Saskia’s citizens’ initiative. The LGBTIQ+ community also finds it important that there is a rainbow zebra crossing in Enkhuizen.

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So is Michel Slof (30). In daily life he is a train driver for the NS, but Slof can regularly be recognized by his frivolous outfits and he is known by his employer as the NS Dragqueen. “This zebra crossing is a tolerance for diversity,” says Michel. “I think that is very important, because it is not visible here in Enkhuizen.”

The train driver believes that a lot still needs to be done compared to other cities in the Netherlands. “I am on my guard here. I still call it a ‘farmer’s village’, because it is really different here from Amsterdam, for example. I think a good next step is a Gay Pride by Enkhuizen”, Michel laughs.

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Ricardo Rinkel (30) grew up in West Friesland, but now lives in Eindhoven. Rinkel is an ambassador for the LGBTIQ+ community. He remembers well when he came out at the age of 14 at the Martinus College in Grootebroek. “When I came out, I was the only one along with someone else. I had created an online gay profile and when someone found out, it was forwarded throughout the school..”

Rinkel therefore finds it very important that Saskia’s initiative has been realised. “Of course you hope that the threshold will be lower and that people will just accept you for who you are.”

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Dylan (24) came out four years ago in Saskia’s tattoo shop on Vijzelstraat. “I was previously a woman, but I’m very happy with my transition. As a woman, it wasn’t fun and my body didn’t suit me.”

In January, Dylan had his second surgery and he is looking forward to his future gender surgery. “I have now become much more confident. I really love Saskia’s initiative. Both the flag and the rainbow zebra crossing provide support.”

Official opening

The initiator cannot wait for the official opening of the colorful crossing. “The eighth of June is the festive opening and our mayor will also be there”, concludes Saskia with a big smile.