Homosexuality in the Netherlands

Gay Pride Amsterdam 2005

Homosexuality is socially accepted in the Netherlands . The Netherlands is considered a very liberal country with regard to homosexual rights and their equality . The Netherlands was the first country in the world to introduce same-sex marriage .

history

Homosexual acts were decriminalized in 1811. Levensrecht, the first Dutch gay magazine, was published in 1940, and in 1946 they founded the Cultuur en Ontspanningscentrum , the world's oldest still existing LGBT association. The age of consent was brought into line for heterosexuals with the reform of Article 248-bis in 1971 .

Anti-discrimination laws

Gays and lesbians today have the same rights as straight citizens and are not excluded from military service. Homosexuality is not discriminated against by law in the Netherlands today. In 1993 a law against discrimination was passed, according to which it is no longer permitted to discriminate against homosexual people, for example in the labor or housing market, on the basis of their sexual orientation . Religious schools, most of which are state-funded, can fire teachers if their behavior (for example, a stable same-sex partnership) is contrary to the school's opinion, regardless of whether this behavior occurs in or outside the school.

marriage

Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands

As the first country in the world, the Netherlands opened with the Wet Open Stelling huwelijk the 21 December 2000 marriage . The law came into force on April 1, 2001 - shortly after midnight, Amsterdam's Mayor Job Cohen entered into the first same-sex marriages ; previously, in a first legal step, the so-called registreerd partnerschap had already been made possible in a national parliamentary manner in 1998 . Since 2001, adoption has also been possible for same-sex married couples. An opinion poll in which the population of all countries of the European Union was asked for their opinion on 'gay marriage' showed that 82% of all citizens in the country are in favor of same-sex marriage.

The Protestant Church of the Netherlands has canonically made the blessing of same-sex couples possible. The remonstrants in the Netherlands and the Mennonites have ecclesiastically allowed same-sex couples to be married.

Recognition in the Kingdom of the Netherlands

For Aruba, which belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (and thus, logically speaking, for the Netherlands Antilles ), the High Council of the Netherlands ruled on April 13, 2007 that treaties concluded in the other parts of the Kingdom must be recognized in all parts. This would mean that in Aruba and the Antilles, same-sex marriages cannot be entered into, but married ones must be recognized in the Netherlands. The Netherlands Antilles objected to this interpretation in a procedure in mid-2008. In June 2009 the Joint Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba , which is actually subordinate to the High Council, ruled that same-sex marriages do not have to have the same rights as opposite- sex marriages. In addition, restructuring was under way in the kingdom. Since October 2010, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius from the Netherlands Antilles have been special municipalities in the Netherlands and are therefore subject to the law in force in the Netherlands. Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten remain as countries within the kingdom. Same-sex marriages are recognized but not entered into.

Social situation

There is a strong homosexual community in the Netherlands and numerous clubs and discos have established themselves. Amsterdam in particular is a popular destination for homosexual tourists, where the Amsterdam Gay Pride takes place every year in August .

literature

• Homoseksualiteit in Nederland , by Rob Tielman , 1982

Web links

Commons : Homosexuality in the Netherlands  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Gert Hekma: The Gay Movement in the Netherlands, 1912-1970 ( Memento from October 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• Gert Hekma: The Amsterdam Bar Culture And Changing Gay / Lesbian Identities ( Memento from October 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) - About bar culture and identities between 1930 and 1970

Individual evidence

1. ↑ V King Macdona: Leaked Dutch report says schools can ban gay teachers , pinknews.co.uk, June 12th 2009
2. ↑ 365gay.com: Europe Split On Gay Marriage ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ The Uniting Protestant Churches in the Netherlands and homosexuality ( Memento of March 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Axel Schock, Karin Schupp: Out-Takes , Querverlag, March 2005, ISBN 3-89656-116-2 , p. 98, "Homo-Ehe"
5. ^ Homosexuality and the Mennonite Church
6. ↑ RNW English section: FAQ: Same-sex marriage ( Memento of the original from June 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Radio Netherlands Worldwide, September 29, 2009 
7. ↑ Aruba Must Recognize Gay Marriages , queer.de, April 16, 2007
8. ↑ Antilles resist gay marriage , queer.de, August 12, 2008
9. ↑ Radio Netherlands / Expatica: Antillean court rejects Dutch law in gay case , expatica.com, June 22, 2009
10. ↑ queer.de:Saba opens marriage