After cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven, Breda should also have its own Pride from 2025, a festival for the rainbow community. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and others say they feel increasingly less safe in the city. The new annual event should therefore ensure more tolerance, acceptance and safety.
Another Pride, you could say. But according to a number of Breda residents, it is very much needed in their city, because the situation is over queers runs backwards. Led by council members Inge Verdaasdonk (SP) and Bart Lauwen (D66), the ‘pink’ catering industry and the organizations COC and Bo Diversitie are raising the alarm with Breda politicians.
“Tolerance is really deteriorating,” says Wiesje Kuijpers of gay café Flamingoos. “Recently, two of our guests were beaten up because they were just walking down the street holding hands. And one of my bar staff recently had a date at home, but instead two guys came and robbed him. And also when people on my sitting on the terrace, they are often called ‘dirty gays’. That is happening more and more often.”
“Breda Pride should be more than just hanging up a rainbow flag and drinking beer.”
Djarsy Barwegen also experiences it regularly. He is homosexual and has been active in Breda’s ‘pink’ catering industry for 35 years. “I am regularly shouted at or cursed at on the street,” he says. “Young people in particular are becoming increasingly bold and do not accept us. They do not know any better or their religion says that it is not allowed.”
Time for action, says councilor Inge Verdaasdonk. “The Netherlands has fallen again in the rankings of tolerant countries worldwide,” she says. “I also hear that in Breda. From the ‘pink’ catering industry I understand that safety is really a problem again and that has to change.”
According to her, a Breda Pride can help with this. “But it has to be more than just hanging up a rainbow flag and drinking beer,” she continues. “Pride was always meant to be activist and not as a party where you walk around in as little clothes as possible.”
“We are concerned with the ideas and we want to make a difference to society. We want to get the conversation going and bring in a bit of culture. That is the most important thing. That is why, in addition to the catering industry, interest groups are also at the table. It is actually strange that Breda does not yet have Pride, because it is really needed.”
“Politicians have signed the rainbow agreement before, so let’s see.”
But of course having fun is part of it. Last summer there was a foretaste in Sint Janstraat where Ruth Jacott performed on a small stage. “It was busy and successful and we proved that it can be much bigger,” says Wiesje Kuijpers, who organized the event. “I don’t want to reveal yet how we are going to do it in Breda. There are big plans, but we are taking it step by step.”
First of all, Breda politicians must be convinced of the necessity. Wiesje and other involved parties will have time to speak at the city council on Thursday. Politics will then decide whether to support the initiative with a subsidy. “The subsidies for next year have already been distributed, so it will be a year later anyway. The political parties signed the rainbow agreement a few years ago. So let’s see, because it is necessary now.”
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