Homomonument
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The Homomonument is a
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
in the centre of
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, the capital of the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. It commemorates all
gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...
and
lesbians A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homo ...
who have been persecuted because of their sexual orientation. Opened on 5 September 1987, it was the first monument in the world to commemorate gays and lesbians who were killed by the German
Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
. The monument takes the form of three large
pink triangle A pink triangle is a symbol for the LGBT community. Initially intended as a badge of shame, it was later reappropriated as a positive symbol of self-identity. It originated in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s as one of the Nazi concentratio ...
s made of granite, set into the ground, which together compose a larger triangle. It is located on the bank of the Keizersgracht canal, near the historic
Westerkerk The Westerkerk (; ) is a Calvinism, Reformed church within Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel (Amsterdam), Grachtengordel nei ...
church. The Homomonument was designed to "inspire and support lesbians and gays in their struggle against denial, oppression and
discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
." During the Netherlands' annual
Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...
ceremony on 4 May, wreaths are laid on the monument to commemorate LGBT victims of persecution. A day later, on
Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...
, the monument becomes the site of a street party.


Symbolism

The Homomonument is an abstract composition of three pink triangles made of granite. The symbol has historical roots; the pink triangle was a cloth badge used in Nazi concentration camps to identify men who had been jailed for homosexuality, which also included bisexual men and transgender women. It is estimated that 100,000 men were arrested and half of these spent time imprisoned during Nazi rule. Subsequently, the pink triangle became a symbol of the emancipation of the LGBT community and its struggle for its rights. However, the Homomonument not only commemorates the victims of World War II, but all homosexual men and women who have been persecuted and murdered. The monument also honours those who have fought for the freedom and human rights of LGBTQ members. The designer of the monument, artist Karin Daan, described the symbolism of the monument as follows:


History

The idea of perpetuating the memory of homosexual victims of World War II appeared at the very beginning of the organized Dutch gay movement. In 1961, activist Jef Last suggested a 'monument to the unknown gay': "No one knows how many there were, no statistics indicate how many of them were beaten to death in those camps or starved or otherwise succumbed. No flame burns for unknown homophiles". However, this idea was not further developed until the 1970s, when the visibility and openness of the marginalized and stigmatized gay community became important political goals for many gay rights organizations. In 1970, a year before the complete decriminalization of homosexuality in the Netherlands, a group of gay activists were arrested for trying to lay a wreath at the
National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...
to the Victims of World War II on
Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. ...
, Amsterdam. The flowers were removed from the memorial by the police and declared insulting to the memory of the dead. This incident angered the LGBT community and catalyzed the struggle for the recognition of victims of repression. Throughout the 1970s, similar wreath-placing demonstrations were executed with varying success, as activists pushed for the inclusion of homosexuals in the public's
collective memory Collective memory is the shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity. The English phrase "collective memory" and the equivalent French phrase "la mémoire collect ...
of Hitler's "social purification" campaigns. In the spring of 1979, during a period of rapid growth of the gay rights movement, the initiative to build a monument to persecuted homosexuals entered a qualitatively new stage when the Homomonument Foundation was founded. Its main goal was the implementation of the memorial project. One of the founders of the fund was
Pacifist Socialist Party The Pacifist Socialist Party (, PSP) was a Democratic socialism, democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. It is one of the predecessors of GroenLinks. Party history Before 1957 In 1955, a group of "politically homeless" activists ...
member Bob van Schijndel. Pointing to the fact that a monument to the
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...
victims of the Nazi
genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
was opened in Amsterdam in 1978, van Schijndel proposed a similar memorial which would be dedicated to the homosexuals who suffered during the Nazi rule. The founders of the fund also included representatives of the Labour Party, the People's Party and the
Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...
of the Netherlands. In 1980, artists were invited to submit designs and a jury was assembled consisting of experts in the fields of art and design. The following year, out of 137 designs submitted to the competition, the jury chose the design by Karin Daan. With the triangle on the water as its central point, Daan expanded the design to make her work as monumental as possible without disrupting its surroundings. The government of Amsterdam allocated a place for the erection of the monument, but construction did not begin for another seven years. Many organizations and individuals made donations for the monument, with individual contributions from the
Dutch Parliament The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States General originated in ...
, the government of
Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Refug ...
, the city of Amsterdam and the province of
North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...
. The idea of creating a monument was pointedly criticized by a number of political and public figures, who either did not recognize the fact of repression, considering the persecution of homosexuals to be legal, or argued that the creation of a monument to a separate small group was unjustifiable. Former Foreign Minister of the Netherlands
Joseph Luns Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns (; 28 August 191117 July 2002) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP), now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), diplomat, and jurist. He is the longest serving Secreta ...
compared homosexuals to
kleptomaniac Kleptomania is the inability to resist the urge to steal items, usually for reasons other than personal use or financial gain. First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse-control disorder. Some of the main cha ...
s. In opposition to him, supporters of the monument noted that its construction would not make sense if there were no people in society who caused suffering to gays and lesbians, complicating their lives. The Daan design also drew criticism from some gay activists, who wanted the monument to have a more imposing design. The first stone was laid on 28 April 1987, at Westermarkt. The opening ceremony of the Homomonument took place on 5 September 1987. It became the first gay monument of its kind in the world. Because of this, the Netherlands became known as the most tolerant Western nation, since the act of erecting a monument meant the recognition of the injustice of the past.


Construction

The Homomonument was erected on the Westermarkt square on the banks of the
Keizersgracht The Keizersgracht (; "Emperor's canal") is a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the second of the three main Amsterdam canals that together form the Grachtengordel, or canal belt, and lies between the inner Herengracht and outer Prinseng ...
canal, near the historic Westerkerk church. The memorial is a composition of three
equilateral triangle An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length, and all three angles are equal. Because of these properties, the equilateral triangle is a regular polygon, occasionally known as the regular triangle. It is the ...
s of pink granite with edge lengths of 10 meters, which are interconnected by thin lines of similar material, thus forming one large equilateral triangle with a side length of 36 meters. Karin Daan designed the monument to be as imposing as possible without disturbing the environment, fitting it as closely as possible into the historic urban landscape. The Homomonument embodies three ideas and three times: the memory of the past, opposition to discrimination and repression in the present, and parting words for the future. The first triangle is located on the embankment of the Keizersgracht canal. Four gradually tapering steps broken in the centre lead down from the pavement to a platform resting on the water. The top of the triangle, projecting into the canal, points to Dam Square, where the National Monument to the Victims of World War II is located. Four pontoons protect the monument from possible damage by passing ships. This triangle symbolizes the present time. Here people can often be seen sitting on the steps, and on the platform resting near the water, flowers are regularly laid and candles are lit. The second triangle is made in the form of a podium, rising 60 centimetres above the surface of the square. It symbolizes the future. The outward-facing peak points to the headquarters of the LGBT organization " COC" at Rosenstraat 14. The abbreviation "COC" originally stood for "Cultuur en Ontspannings-Centrum" (with nid. – "Centre for culture and recreation") and was conceived as a neutral-sounding front for an LGBT organization. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest LGBT organization in the world. Near the triangle, there is an information kiosk called "Pink Point", which sells literature and souvenirs related to the gay life of the Netherlands. The podium itself is often used as a stage for various events. The third triangle is located flush with the paving stones of the square. It symbolizes the past. Around the perimeter of the slab is engraved a line from the poem "To the Young Fisherman" by the Dutch Jewish poet Jacob Israël de Haan, who was allegedly homosexual: "Such a boundless craving for friendship" (), which, according to the plan of Karin Daan, describes the driving force in relationships between people. The apex, outside the large triangle, points to the
home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
of
Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...
, a Jewish girl whose
diaries Diaries may refer to: * the plural of diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally bee ...
written during the German occupation of the Netherlands combined millions of human tragedies associated with the Nazi genocide in the story of one child. Ac.homomonument.jpg, Triangle of the past Amsterdam-Homomonument-01.jpg, Triangle of the present Amsterdam-Homomonument-04.jpg, Triangle of the future The three historical sites which the monument points to were chosen to further emphasize the context in which the memorial itself and its symbols exist. The plate, placed on the canal fence on both sides (so that it can be seen both from land and from the water), contains an inscription in three languages (Dutch, English and French): In 1991, the bridge over the Keizersgracht canal, located north of the Homomonument, was renamed in honour of the anti-fascist, resistance fighter, gay activist, and long-term leader of the COC Niek Engelschman.


Current situation

Every year, on the National Day of Remembrance on 4 May, the Homomonument hosts an official ceremony to commemorate the gays and lesbians who were victims of Nazi repression, as well as those who are still being persecuted for their sexual orientation around the world. The event, which brings together hundreds of people, is attended by various officials, representatives of political parties, and public organizations, many of whom make speeches. The ceremony begins at 8 pm and includes the laying of flowers, the lowering of the
Dutch flag The national flag of the Netherlands () is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evolving in the early 17th ...
, and the traditional two minutes of silence followed by the national anthem "
Wilhelmus "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", known simply as "Wilhelmus", or written with the article as "Het Wilhelmus", is the national anthem of both the Netherlands and its sovereign state, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It dates back to at least 1572, makin ...
". Previously, the use of official paraphernalia was prohibited, but this position was later changed. On the
King's Day () or King's Day is a public holiday, national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 27 April (26 April if the 27th is a Sunday), the date marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander. When the Monarchy of the Netherlands, D ...
on 27 April and
Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...
on 5 May, colourful Pink Triangle festivals are held at Westermarkt, which include dances, concerts, performances by artists,
drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...
s, and so on. These festivities, according to the organizers, should testify to the connection between the past and the present and be a guarantee that history will not be forgotten and will not lose its relevance. The Homomonument, as the first monument of its kind, has gained worldwide fame and is a popular tourist attraction in Amsterdam. People from all over the world come to it to lay flowers and take pictures. The Homomonument underwent restoration in 2003. On 24 October 2006, the mayor of Amsterdam,
Job Cohen Marius Job Cohen (born 18 October 1947) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist who served as List of mayors of Amsterdam, Mayor of Amsterdam from 2001 to 2010 and Leader of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) from ...
, and the chairman of the LGBT organization COC, Frank van Dalen, inaugurated a model Homomonument in the
Madurodam Madurodam () is a miniature park and tourist attraction in the Scheveningen district of The Hague in the Netherlands. It is home to a range of 1:25 scale model replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities and large developments. The par ...
miniature park in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. Another monument in memory of LGBT victims of repression and persecution was dedicated in Barcelona, Spain in 2011, which was modeled after the Homomonument. Today, the Westermarkt has become one of the centres of life for the Dutch LGBT community. Various events are often held here, including rallies, photo exhibitions, flash mobs, open lectures, weddings, celebrations, and other events. The Homomonument Foundation coordinates and funds these events.


References


Literature

* * * *


External links

*
Homomonument page at Inspiritus
{{LGBT monuments and memorials 1987 in LGBTQ history 1987 sculptures Buildings and structures in Amsterdam Holocaust commemoration LGBTQ in the Netherlands LGBTQ monuments and memorials in Europe Monuments and memorials in the Netherlands Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany Monuments and memorials to the victims of Nazism