Finn and Stijn were abused and chased because they walked hand in hand on the street in Breda. Pien Merx, chairman of COC Tilburg/Breda, knows for herself what it is like to be harassed like this and notices in her environment that it is getting worse. “We hear it more and more and that is very worrying.”
The number of reports and reports of violence against LGBTI+ people has been rising for years. These include homosexuals, bisexuals, lesbians and transgenders. In 2020 there were 2336 declarations/reports, in 2021 that number rose to 2446 and last year there were almost 2600 reports. “In addition to physical violence, the LGBTI+ community also experiences a lot of verbal violence,” says chairman Merx of COC. “When people within the community express themselves, they are especially afraid of reactions. Not only on the internet, but also on the street.”
Not only is the amount of violence increasing, it is also becoming more extreme, Merx sees. “People are attacked, grabbed and beaten up,” she says. “One of the most extreme examples is the couple in Arnhem who were attacked with bolt cutters.” Despite the fact that many reports are made, the number of convictions is low. Fewer than five perpetrators of LGBTI+ discrimination are convicted annually, says Merx.
“They’re going to behave less “gay””
One of the consequences of all this violence is that the people of the community are acting differently. “They start behaving less ‘gay’,” says Merx. “They will pay attention to the clothes they wear and, for example, no longer wear rainbow colors.”
And the impact on the victims of violence is often even greater. “If you go through something like what Finn and Stijn went through, you can suffer from it for a long time,” says Merx. “As a person you really start to doubt everything. It makes you very insecure.” The COC helps the people of the community who go through that phase and stands up for the interests of the LGBTI +. “We are constantly working to counter the violence and help the victims to move on.”
“Speak up, even if you’re not part of the community”
Despite the increase in violence and discrimination, Pien Merx remains hopeful for the future. Because even now the champion sees that good things are happening. “In the story of Stijn and Finn you also hear that people called 112 when they saw it happen. That helps, not only at the time itself, but also afterwards, the boys get a little positivity from that.”
According to Merx, everyone can contribute to making LGBTI+ people feel safer. “Support each other and speak up, even if you are not part of the community.” Together with the COC, and Pien hopes with a lot of other people as well, she will continue to work for one goal: “To get rid of this violence completely in the future.”
READ ALSO: Stijn and Finn walk arm in arm and are chased and abused