It’s a scary time right now. But our community has overcome dark times in the past. More than once. And that’s an important point.
We tend to think of history as moving in a straight line from an ignorant and violent past towards a glorious future. That’s part of what is making this time so frightening. It felt like the 60s marked a turning point, at least in the Western world. The past few decades have seen a greater embrace of the spectrum of attractions and gender identities. There seemed to be a real cause for hope.
And then, the backlash. Across the world, there has been a violent rejection of inclusivity. Some queer elders even say they feel less safe now; when they were young, most cis straight people weren’t hyper-aware of or looking for signs of gender identity or queerness.
This feels like a betrayal of our social momentum. But the fact is, history has never moved in an arc. Progress has always ebbed and flowed. Any time of relative freedom had an earlier forerunner, followed by a period of restriction.
The history of Amsterdam is a perfect example. The world’s first legal gay marriage didn’t come from a perfect arc from oppression to acceptance. There were moments of freedom and moments of violence.
Unlike neighboring countries, medieval Amsterdam relied heavily on fines rather than physical punishment. It was mercantile even then… Like a lot of its neighbors, however, it saw an interesting drift in opinions on gender.
Being a Gay Man in the Netherlands
In the early Middle Ages, women were seen as more animalistic, while men were generally seen as more spiritual, especially if they were monks or scholars. This led to a surprising attitude towards relationships between men. They weren’t accepted, but there was a bit of societal shoulder shrugging. It made sense that one of these higher creatures wouldn’t be attracted to a lowly woman.
By the 18th century, that view had entirely reversed. The four anti-gay panics that hit the country across about 70 years targeted almost exclusively men. A century later, men led the way in writing openly about their desires. In the 20th century, a gay man named Benno Premsela kicked off a cultural revolution by being the first person to go on TV and talk about LGBTQIA+ identity. He went on to be called ‘the moral heart of the community’.
Being a Lesbian in the Netherlands
Women, meanwhile, had an opposite evolution. The carnal medieval caricature that led to actual witch hunts in other areas led to figurative ones in Amsterdam. Both individuals and communities were targeted with judicial actions that had an “unnatural” undertone. Early modern Amsterdam then moved into viewing most women as completely innocent of desire. This led to several instances of heavily Sapphic poetry being openly published and fairly obvious lesbian relationships in the public eye.
In the 20th century, a queer cultural scene began to develop around Café ‘t Mandje, which was run by the openly lesbian Bet van Beeren. After the war and Bet’s death, lesbians seemed to fade a bit from public view. They were still there; one of the organizers of the first pro-gay protest in Europe was a lesbian student. They just didn’t seem to get the same cultural attention as gay men.
That changed again with the world’s first gay marriage. Many male couples and one lesbian couple volunteered to be part of the first ceremony. To the women’s surprise, they became the face of gay marriage in media across the world.
Gender Identity in the Netherlands
Gender identity has also seen an ebb and flow. In the 18th century alone, more than 120 AFAB people were discovered living as men. Most of them received little punishment, and those who were had usually lied to the army. At the same time, the gender-bending Mademoiselle Le Chevalier d’Eon was able to publish their book in Amsterdam when no one else would touch it.
Then, the 19th and early 20th century saw a pathologization of non-conforming gender identity. Perhaps surprisingly, Amsterdam became one of the places to get gender-confirming surgery by the 1970s, but a ten-year waiting period was imposed.
Thanks in part to heroes like Dirkje Kuik (an award-winning artist and author who transitioned in the public eye) and Nickie Nikole (whose drag-based TV show got the country thinking about gender in a new way), Amsterdam is now at the forefront of gender inclusivity. Like everywhere else, there is more progress to be made. However, the place that pathologized trans identity a century after somewhat accepting it is now spending resources to make sure all gender identities are safe and welcome.
This one city shows that we shouldn’t lose hope. Yes, we have a fight in front of us. No, the existence of the anti-queer backlash doesn’t mean we are doomed. It’s not darkest before the dawn; light builds slowly. History shows that we can look ahead to better times and work together to make it happen.
Badass Tours is on a mission to tell Amsterdam's full rainbow history, across the centuries and across the LGBTQIA spectrum. Find out more at badasstours.nl