Mayor Jan Seton of the municipality of Borger-Odoorn opened Rainbow Week by raising the rainbow flag. And that is a week in which activities are held that focus on the social acceptance of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, or LGBTI+.
“Awareness makes people feel more that they can be themselves in Borger-Odoorn,” says Seton. “Things are going relatively well here, but we want it to become even more normal to have a conversation about this, that people feel safe and secure in their own environment. That is why we are organizing this Rainbow Week. That cannot be arranged in a week, We have to keep working on that all year long.”
Former member of parliament Henk Nijmeijer was at the origin of the Rainbow Week in Drenthe seven years ago. In 2016, Drenthe was officially the first Rainbow Province in the Netherlands. All municipalities in Drenthe are now participating. Our province is leading the way in the Netherlands in the LGBTI+ area, research shows.
“In 2022, the Movisie knowledge institute conducted research among the twelve provinces and came to the conclusion that Drenthe is really at the top when it comes to how Drenthe approaches things: careful and sound. And it is guaranteed in the policy. That is very special” , says Nijmeijer, who currently bears the title of Rainbow Ambassador.
But we are far from there yet, says Nijmeijer. He believes that tolerance should grow towards acceptance. “Social acceptance is essential. I call the word acceptance and not tolerance. Tolerance is in your mind, acceptance comes from your heart. Tolerance is required by law, but acceptance is about accepting how and who you are.”
In the municipality of Borger-Odoorn, schools will be working on the theme next week and a film on the subject will be shown in the library.