The 34-year-old Ruso from Georgia lives in the AZC in Budel and was one of the lucky ones who was allowed on the asylum boat during Pride Amsterdam last Saturday. She and her girlfriend fled their native country at the end of 2024, after they were both threatened with death. “The police do not protect you in Georgia, that happens in the Netherlands,” explains Ruso.
Discrimination in the AZC
The contrast between the pride and living in an AZC is huge for many participants, says the chairman. “There are lesbian women from Russia and Georgia who are discriminated against in the AZC where they are staying. They wondered in advance if the Netherlands is safe enough. And then she will be on a boat during the Canal Parade. Fantastic of course, but the contrast with the AZCs in Budel and Ter Apel is enormous.”
Ruso, too, sometimes feels discriminated against and unsafe in the AZC, mainly due to other fled countrymen. “A man who lives in our AZC recently attacked us. Because of what we look like,” she says.
Great party
For the Georgian couple, a day on the boat in Amsterdam was a celebration of recognition and freedom: “We are loud and proud of course, because we don’t have to hide here. We are free here.”
According to Kortekaas, the Week van Pride for the Queer asylum seekers could not go wrong. “Such a warm welcome for this group does show what the Netherlands stands for. And the power that these people have and how they propagate … Fantastic!”