Daan Smeelen is chair of the Homomonument Foundation. Together with the Board and a large group of volunteers, she works to keep the Monument alive and relevant.

The Homomonument is a safe place in Amsterdam where we meet to party, to commemorate and to demonstrate. It is a place where we can make our voices heard. And it is a place that is becoming more diverse and that has different meanings for different people.

When I came to Amsterdam in the 1990s, I went to the festivities at the monument. I especially felt the sense of togetherness; it felt like we were a family. The LGBTI community consists of all kinds of people and individuals, but what we have in common are the things we’ve experienced.

We live in a rich and free country. Nevertheless, I think there will always be violence and fear towards to groups that do not fit the standard societal framework. But when it comes to LGBTI rights in the Netherlands, we are definitely on the right track and we can be happy about that.