COC Rotterdam Rijnmond is the local subsidiary of the national COC organization which 'has been advocating the rights of lesbian women, gay men, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT’s) since 1946' 'COC strives for the decriminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity and for equal rights, emancipation and social acceptance of LGBT’s'. COC Rottedam stands up for the rights and safety of LGBTI people throughout the Zuid-Holland Zuid province. They support meetings for various groups of people, provides workshops at schools and offers information and advice regarding LGBTQI related issues or concerns.

 Dona Daria strives for an equal participation in society of everyone. This means we work to create opportunities, freedom of choice and equal opportunities for all people. Donna Daria wants to actively remove the obstacles for social participation by strengthening mutual understanding. LGBTI+ emancipation an important focus in their activities  

LUSH is an internationally renowned natural and cruelty-free cosmetics brand. So why include LUSH in our list of hotspots? Because we absolutely love LUSH! It is one of the – if not the – most progressive brands when it comes to human rights, sustainability and animal-friendliness. Need we say more? We don’t but we will. Because the second you walk into the LUSH store in Rotterdam it almost seems like crashing a mini gay party. That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the fact that their Rotterdam store is known for its LGBTQI-friendliness.

Every month we meet with special LGBTQ+ Rotterdammers to get to know them better and share their stories. This time we met a group of students from Erasmus University who are committed in representing Erasmus Pride.

When Fabian Lips became Erasmus University’s new chairman for Erasmus Pride last year, he saw a lot of potential. Founded in 2008, Erasmus Pride is a university initiative focused on connecting, representing, and strengthening the school’s LGBTQ+ community. For some, the initiative was nothing more than a social meet-and-drink that was to take place every other week. However, having worked with other organizations in the past, Fabian’s experience has showed him that with a good organization one can accomplish a lot more. Wanting to do just that, Fabian and his team aim to bring new life to Erasmus Pride.

Joined by Julia Werkhoven, Andrea Blattler and Vlada Voskobiinyk, his team is committed to fostering changes that make Erasmus University a more inclusive place. Together they take action on notices of misrepresentation and the lack of inclusivity. One of the many challenges they attend to is the evaluation of teaching materials, which are often heteronormative, reinforce traditional gender roles, and mostly focus on western cultures. In addition to this, they want to draw attention to the importance of safe spaces, a gender neutral environment and inclusive university events. They’re also an important resource for students who have questions on LGBTQ+ issues such as, legislation and gender reassignment interventions. And of course, there’s the bi-weekly drink at Ferry.

Emphasizing the importance of the organization to her fellow students, is Julia, a student and member of Erasmus Pride. Julia points out the value in creating a space where one feels at home, especially with Erasmus University being an international place. Andrea, a fellow student and also a member, agrees on its importance. She adds that for students who’ve often just moved out of their parental home, it is important to have a place where they are acknowledged and feel welcome.

I asked them what inclusivity means to them.

Vlada: “Intersectionality is very important. Inclusivity can only be truly inclusive when it provides space for marginalized communities.”

Fabian: “What connects as a LGBTQ+ people is our diversity and this makes communication among people with different experiences so valuable.”

Roze in Blauw or 'Pink in Blue' is the LGBTQI+ network of all police units and police services. These teams are the points of contact for Lesbians, Gays, Queer, Bisexuals and Transgender people from within and outside the police.

Roze in Blauw (website in Dutch) urges you to report any incidents you might have had or have seen involving discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. An incident could concern violence, threats of violence, discrimination, insult or harassment.

Alway in urgent or life threatening situations call: 112 (National General Emergency Number) For non urgent situations and direct contact with ' Roze in Blauw' call 088-1691234. Roze in Blauw in Rotterdam has an Instagram account

Unwanted Words is the platform for up & coming queer poets and spoken word artists in Rotterdam and around. They host a monthly series of Queer Poetry Nights in Rotterdam.

Unwanted Words goal is to offer safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people to share their art, their stories and for a queer audience to connect and celebrate each other.

Created in September 2018, we have gone to host 11 events with a full house, collaborated with over 40 local and international poets and artists with zero budget, just a team of enthusiastic volunteers and several partners that have supported the project pro-bono.

Read more about Unwated Words in our article with founder Luis Bracamontes.

Meer info en/of volg Unwanted Words op: