Amsterdam. This is not just the city that legalized same sex marriage. It’s not just the city of leather Pride and the canal parade. When we summarize the LGBTQIAP+ milestones it is also Sister Outsider that has made LGBTQIAP+ Amsterdam what it is today. Sister Outsider was a grassroots organization that was founded in 1984 by Gloria Wekker and Tieneke Sumter, among others. They aimed to make black women's culture in general, and black lesbian culture and literature in particular, visible. In 1987 they disbanded and wrote: 'What we wanted with Sister Outsider was to show something of our own black lesbian culture. Now that we have made a start in doing that, we think the time has come to put an end to it, hoping that others will start to pick up where we left off.'

In the past 40 years, several similar LGBTQIAP+ groups and movements have stood up to claim space for their vision, positions and experiences. SUHO was founded in 1980 for and by Surinamese Dutch people who identified as LGBTQIAP+. Strange Fruit was founded in 1989: a reference to and critique of the exoticization of LGBTQIAP+ people of color. Or as founder Rohit Kumar explained at the time: 'We are seen as a tropical candy. We are of good use for one night. Dutch gays have little interest in our culture and background. There is a lot of racism.' In 2001 the genderqueer collective The Noodles joined the scene; a movement that tried to break down the (sex and gender) categorization as a whole. 

All groups ultimately fought for the same kind of goal: the diversification of the LGBTQIAP+ community, more diverse role models, and a more intersectional view of LGBTQIAP+ experiences and forms of exclusion. In other words: a white cisgender* woman has a different experience than a white trans man. The experience of

a black non-binary person is different from that of a bisexual cis* man of color.

Thanks to the efforts of those who came before us, a new generation is growing up with the knowledge that gender is something different than sexual orientation. And that queer means you don't have to choose between trans, or non-binary, gay or straight - but that people are people and they fall in love with other people. The LGBTQIAP+ community is more diverse than ever, but we don't see that reflected yet when we look at the Amsterdam boat parade, the TV series in which LGBTQIAP+ characters appear, or the reports of Pride. As is the case in the rest of society, white people are most visible and cis people, especially cis men, are most represented.

Under the banner of Queer Network Amsterdam, 23 Amsterdam LGBTQIAP+ organizations have joined forces to diversify the LGBTQIAP+ landscape. What does it mean to be queer in Syria? What is it like growing up as an intersex person of color in a small village? Why is it not yet safe for some to be visible at the canal parade? What is the experience of a black trans man who is pregnant? How does being queer in the global north compare to being queer in Latin America?

It is the first time in Amsterdam's LGBTQIAP+ history that so many organizations have committed themselves to one common goal. Queer Network Amsterdam is fighting for a structurally more diverse and inclusive Amsterdam. We do this not only during 1 Pride week, but 365 days a year.

The network is characterized by our differences. From the queer refugees who have united within Sehaq, to ​​the Ondersteboven Foundation, which has been committed to the visibility of lesbian women for more than 15 years. From Black Pride, which focuses on Black and LGBTQIAP+ people of color, to COC Amsterdam, which was founded in 1946, to TransUnited, which is committed to, among other things, the visibility of trans sex workers and trans specific care. No organization is the same, no person is similar to another. Our backgrounds, character traits, genders, (sexual) orientations, cultures and forms of expression all deserve representation, visibility and safety. And with us so many others. Others who are like us and now see themselves insufficiently represented during Pride, on the canal parade, on TV.

Queer Network Amsterdam wants to continue the ambitions that Sister Outsider had in mind in 1984. More visibility, more knowledge, more platform for the groups whose identities and activities have too often been marginalized. Following in the footsteps of The Noodles, Strange Fruit and SUHO, among others, we actively speak out against all kinds of oppression such as racism, sexism, transphobia, validism, gender categorization and heteronormativity. We are committed to make Amsterdam a city that understands that such forms of exclusion are interrelated. An Amsterdam that is not only safe for some, but for all. Because no one is free until we are all free. Amsterdam. The city of solidarity. The city of Sister Outsider. It’s an honor to pick up where you have left off.

*Cisgender - also called ‘cis’ - describes a person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth are the same. The word ‘cisgender’ is the opposite of ‘transgender’.