The Queer & Pride Amsterdam starts this Saturday. For some, this is a party that rivals King’s Day in terms of entertainment, especially the boat parade (the Canal Parade) on 5 August. For others, all the hustle and bustle is a reason to flee the city.
Behind the scenes of Queer & Pride there has been no party atmosphere for a long time. The original organizer Stichting Pride Amsterdam now has to organize the event of the city council together with Queer Amsterdam. And although both organizations try to radiate as much peace and harmony as possible to the outside world, in fact it is war, as we read last week in a reconstruction The parole. Simply put: a battle between the traditional cheerful gay, who likes to hang out in the Reguliersdwarsstraat at the weekend, and who spends his days in a suit on the Zuidas from Monday to Friday, against the activist of color, who stands on the barricades against any injustice. “Queer Amsterdam stands for it […] strengthen the […] position of all people who identify as LGBTQIAP+”, according to the organization on its website. “Anti-discrimination in all areas is one of our core values.” At The parole Queer Amsterdam let it be known that it is not at all waiting for cheerful parties and commercial boat parades.
Queer Amsterdam is under the spell of intersectionality, a word that has only been in Van Dale since 2018. Supporters of that theory want to connect all sub-struggles against oppression and inequality. The fight against LGBT oppression is the fight against women’s inequality, is the fight against racism, against (neo-)colonialism, against Islamophobia and often also against capitalism. What all those struggles would have in common is a common “oppressor”: the white, western, heterosexual cis male.
Together, therefore, until all injustice has been eradicated. There can be no question of a party just to celebrate being gay. The word ‘gay’ has long since fallen out of favor with this movement, and the word ‘gay’ cannot be found on Queer Amsterdam’s website either. The group uses the term ‘queer’ or the previously mentioned, well-known series of letters that is getting longer and longer.
Sounds noble of course: standing up for all the oppressed and not just for one’s own group. Still, you can comment on that. And for the sake of convenience I will leave the demonization of the white man as the culprit aside for the moment.
The problem is that the groups advocated by intersectional movements sometimes have conflicting ideas and practices. This often leads to conflicts and splits, see all the hassle at the political party Bij1. It is precisely the fight for gay rights and emancipation that is a difficult point. Gay emancipation has just progressed furthest in the West. In other cultures, it is a point of attention, to say the least. Roughly speaking, the same applies to the fight against women’s oppression and sexism.
The split of intersectionality emerges at Queer & Pride, among other things, when Palestinian flags are fluttered. It is a regular ingredient of Queer & Pride Zero Flags Project: every year the flags of countries where homosexuality is still a criminal offense are shown. The idea is that the number of flags will eventually go to zero. This year there are 69 flags. One of them is the Palestinian. But there is a good chance that the Palestinian flag will also have a positive image, carried by intersectionalists who warmly support the struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli oppressor.
There is much to criticize about Israeli (settlement) politics. I am also very concerned about the direction in which the country is currently moving. But from a gay/gay/queer point of view, it’s weird to demonstrate against the country. Tel Aviv is one of the few cities in the Middle East where the LGBT community can move freely. In Ramallah I wouldn’t try it.
Homosexuality is a criminal offense in many Islamic countries. In Afghanistan and Iran, but also Mauritania and Saudi Arabia you get the death penalty. Life sentences for LGBT people follow in many other countries. There are no such laws in Egypt and Turkey, but gay pride has not been self-evident there either in recent years. Even in Indonesia things are going downhill.
The Queer & Pride should denounce that. There are other platforms for demonstrating against Israel. Solidarity between the oppressed must not dilute the primary message of worldwide acceptance and emancipation of gays.
Aylin Bilic is a headhunter and publicist. She replaces Rosanne Hertzberger in this place.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper on July 22, 2023.