Around 80 colorful pride
boats sailed through Amsterdam\u2019s World Heritage canals on
Saturday in the finale of a week-long celebration in the city
that stood in stark contrast to recent crackdowns on LGBTQ+
rights in fellow EU member state Hungary.
While the flotilla is not political, attendees used the
occasion to criticise conflicts or world leaders for their
stance on LGBTQ+ rights.
Thehany Gilmore, a 43-year-old Dutch-Caribbean dressed in a
leather outfit with a whip, said banning of the Budapest pride
parade “is a form of oppression.”
“People everywhere should have their own pride to be able to
represent who they are,” she said.
Palestinian flags were spotted among the crowd of revelers,
and Dutch police arrested four activists who had jumped in the
water to vandalize the Booking.com boat in protest over its
listings in settlements in Israeli-occupied territories.
Others criticized U.S. President Donald Trump, whose
administration implemented anti-trans policies and cut funding
for international aid programs, dealing a setback to HIV
prevention efforts in Africa.
Some waved a hybrid U.S.\/Pride flag, while one boat declared
itself a ‘Trump-Free Pride Boat’ with signs reading ‘Trans
Rights Are Human Rights.’ Another featured mock graveyards and
the message ‘Trump’s Actions Kill. Love Saves Lives,’
highlighting fears over U.S. AIDS funding cuts.
“Amsterdam Pride is… about expressing yourself, showing
who you are, being grateful for the freedom that we have in
Europe. The U.S. really needs to reinvent itself… be more open
about people,” 40-year-old Michael Jacobs, who hails from Dutch
port city Rotterdam, said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Around 80 colorful prideboats sailed through Amsterdam\u2019s World Heritage canals onSaturday in the finale of a week-long celebration in the citythat stood in stark contrast to recent crackdowns on LGBTQ+rights in fellow EU member state Hungary.While the flotilla is not political, attendees used theoccasion to criticise conflicts or world leaders for theirstance on LGBTQ+ rights.Thehany […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n