AMSTERDAM
pride & glory
By Alexander Thatcher
GIRLS WHO ARE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS TO BE GIRLS WHO DO BOYS LIKE THEY’RE GIRLS WHO DO GIRLS LIKE THEY’RE BOYS ALWAYS SHOULD BE SOMEONE YOU REALLY LOVE BLUR After spending the European summer in Amsterdam, if I were given just one word to describe Dutch culture, I would probably use ‘Respect’. Dutch directness aside, being a gay man in Amsterdam was absolutely no issue — we felt welcomed and respected by everyone we met. Ranked number four in the 2019 Spartacus Gay Travel Index, the Netherlands is considered to be one of the most culturally liberal and egalitarian countries in the world. Recent polls show that more than 90% of Dutch citizens believe that LGBTIQ people should be allowed to live as they wish. It’s a pretty impressive statistic considering the current right-wing conservative insurgence blundering its way across our planet. Amsterdam, regarded as one of the most LGBTIQ friendly cities in the world, is famous for its liberal culture, vibrant nightlife and queer festivals like Milkshake and Amsterdam Pride. The city has a thriving and rich LGBTIQ scene, filled with creativity and what seems like a national drive to encourage people to be truly authentic. Being truly free to be ourselves is something we talk about here in Australia, but after being in Europe, I can't help but wonder if as a country we are really up for what this actually means. I discovered that as colourful as our LGBTIQ community is here, we are still very conservative. I’ll let the photos of Milkshake Festival and Amsterdam Pride explain what I mean here — you’ll get the picture (...otherwise google PiG Party Berlin.... actually, *don’t* google PiG Party Berlin!!!). FUSETRAVEL
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