The Homomonument is a unique war monument, which not only memorializes victims of the Second World War, but also all those who have suffered persecution because of their sexual preference. At the same time, it was meant to be a living monument, a place of personal reflection and celebration as well as an inspiration for future generations: a place to meet, to party, to be visible and to be proud. With the current climate of rising homophobia, that's become more important than ever.
Roze Wester Festival 2007
Queens Day Eve Sunday the 29th of April Jennifer Hopeless brought the spectacular Drag Queen Olympics to the Homomonument once again. A huge gaggle of drags landed right in the centre of Amsterdam, only to enter in the fiercest mother of all sports competitions of the world. Stiletto races, Handbag throws, Tandem Bike Relays... Miss Windy Mills managed to become The Olympic Drag again!
Queens Day
On Monday the 30th of April (noon till 9pm) we had the traditional Queen’s Day celebration at the monument. With special guest programming of XXXLeather and Malenka.
Between Queen’s Day and Liberation Day the festival at the Homomonument was be open daily with a small terrace, stalls, presentations and receptions.
Memorial Day On the 4th of May the COC organized the memorial service at the Homomonument. Everyone was invited to come to the COC building in the Rozenstraat from where a procession left to the monument at 7.45pm. At the monument there were a few speakers, after which we had two minutes of silence to remember all the victims of oppression and discrimination. We put flowers and wreaths onto the water triangle of the monument and afterwards people were invited back to the COC building for a chat and a drink.
Liberation Day The 5th of May is a day of celebrating our freedom. The Homomonument once again hosted the only gay and lesbian Liberation Day event of Holland. This year with special guest programming of Malenka Producers and ArtLaunch. Lots of performances, acts and sillyness. In the early evening various djs took control so we could dance to our freedom. Our freedom = your freedom! The afternoon also presented the Freedom market with several stalls of organizations and initiatives. It was an ideal opportunity to pick up a truly queer gift, check out the sports clubs, join a dance school or find out what our health and social organizations have planned for the year.
