“The Netherlands was progressive in terms of gay rights, but every year we slip further behind”
Although acceptance of members of the LGBTQIA+ community is less self-evident than it once was, A.S.V. Gay chair Danne Wolthuis believes that too little is organised around Purple Friday. “I think it’s a missed opportunity that it doesn’t get more attention.”
Why is it important that Purple Friday is marked not only in secondary schools, but also at universities?
“I think we really are going backwards in terms of safety and the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ rights. Things were going very well for a while, and I think people have forgotten that, increasingly, issues are still very much at play. We’re now in a phase in which we have to stand up for ourselves more and more. In that context, Purple Friday may seem like something small, but because microaggressions towards the LGBTQIA+ community are becoming more visible, I think it’s very important that we do pay attention to it.”
“Especially for people who don’t find it easy to stand up for themselves, it’s comforting to be able to see, in a simple way: those people are wearing purple today, so at least they’re okay with me. That creates a sense of safety.”
How important is it for LGBTQIA+ students to feel that a university fully supports them?
“I think it’s incredibly important. At A.S.V. Gay, our strength lies in the fact that we are all the same precisely because we are all ‘different’. That creates a comforting bubble within the association, but of course it’s not the only bubble in which our members move. Outside the association, that bubble can burst quite quickly. When you start studying, you should feel welcome and safe to be who you are. You work with many different people, and it’s reassuring to know that, fundamentally, you can feel safe at the university.”
“In the beginning, there is often a sense of hesitation, because you don’t know who you’re dealing with. It simply isn’t always obvious that everything is okay. If the university clearly expresses the stance that you are accepted, that helps.”
How do you feel things currently are at the UvA? Is enough attention being paid to Purple Friday?
“As far as I’m concerned, a lot more could be done. Purple Friday can be something truly powerful, so I think it’s a missed opportunity that it doesn’t get more attention. I’m a UvA student myself and I hardly ever hear anything about Purple Friday. I think that’s a shame. There are also many internationals here who aren’t familiar with the concept at all, and I think the university has a responsibility to inform them about it. My feeling is that it just doesn’t really resonate.”
Purple Friday also seems to be slipping off the wider social agenda. On top of that, this summer it emerged that acceptance of gay people among young Amsterdammers has declined. How do you view developments like these?
“I think people have simply assumed far too easily that everything would be fine. But in reality, it’s becoming less and less okay. I recently had a conversation with COC Netherlands, and when you hear what is now being said in secondary schools, it’s really not a pretty picture. These trends are worrying. In the current political climate, I think we’re going to be confronted with this kind of thing more and more. Once, the Netherlands was progressive – the country of the first same-sex marriage – but now, every year, we slip further behind. That’s truly a shame.”
Board members of the UvA, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, VU, HvA, and the Amsterdam–Flevoland ROC will sign the Amsterdam Pride University Manifesto on Purple Friday. With this manifesto, the institutions pledge to provide structural support to Pride networks within their schools. The signing will take place in the presence of Amsterdam’s alderwoman for Diversity and Inclusion, Touria Melliani, as well as the respective Pride organisations of the educational institutions.
“I’m also seeing more and more people within our association for whom things at home simply aren’t okay. For example, they aren’t accepted by their parents. It’s wonderful to see that students at A.S.V. Gay can find their place and be who they want to be, but in their home environment that’s sometimes not the case.”
What is A.S.V. Gay itself doing for Purple Friday this year?
“We’re going to the Mediacollege, where there’s a full themed day that we’ll be joining, and were we will be making a radio broadcast. In addition, we promote Purple Friday within our association, I believe we have a responsibility to contribute to knowledge and awareness about it. And there is a University Pride manifesto that will be signed by the UvA. We’ll be there for that.”
