Queen Maxima of Holland Makes History by Opening WorldPride in Amsterdam and Supporting LGBTQIA+ Rights
The festival will feature 300 events through Aug. 8 as Amsterdam leaders warn that LGBTQ rights face backlash in some countries.
- Queen Maxima formally opened WorldPride 2026 in Amsterdam on Saturday, standing alongside Mayor Femke Halsema before drag queens and LGBTQ activists to inaugurate the festival.
- Amsterdam will host 300 events through August 8, blending celebration with activism. Halsema stated, "A protest without joy is far less powerful," emphasizing the festival's dual purpose.
- Curator Kadja Bijlmakers introduced the "Drag in Amsterdam" exhibition, highlighting the drag community's vital role in raising AIDS awareness during the 1980s and 1990s.
- Patrick Simones, a 58-year-old train driver known as "Miss Spunt," expressed concern that the situation for LGBTQ people has deteriorated in the Netherlands, with many "bashed, trashed and cursed."
- Mayor Halsema warned against waning tolerance, citing Uganda where homosexuality is criminalized, as attendee Vicente Rios Rios added, "We cannot forget that there are still places where you still cannot be yourself.
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The sovereign of the Netherlands supported inclusion and diversity
The Queen of the Netherlands has made history by becoming the first member of a royal house to inaugurate the WorldPride, the largest international event dedicated to the visibility and rights of the LGTBIQ+ community. A ceremony that took place last Saturday at the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, city that hosts for the first time this celebration where the venue changes every year. To attend the event, the queen interrupted her family vacation and, b…
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