Today, Purple Friday 2022, Queer U Stories (QUS) launches the new Utrecht Rainbow canon. The canon shows peaks and troughs in the history of the Utrecht queer community; from 18th century sodomite persecution to Utrecht Pride. The canon tells stories that until now have often been glossed over, making it a source of knowledge, inspiration and identification for the Utrecht queer community.
Rich history
Utrecht has a rich lhbti+ history. With low points, such as the sodomite persecution, where 18 men were put to death because they loved men. But also highlights such as the annual Utrecht Pride where thousands celebrate that everyone is allowed to be themselves.
The canon brings them into the limelight and answers many questions such as: Why is Utrechtaar another word for gay? How did queers live in the 18th and 19th centuries? Why was the pink triangle exchanged for the rainbow flag? And who were Jacques Drabbe, Dirkje Kuik and Sylvia Bodnár?
Rainbow canon continues to grow
The first version of the Utrecht Rainbow Canon was presented to Utrecht's mayor, Sharon Dijksma, a year ago. This version inspired many to start working with Utrecht's rainbow history. Theatre Oester turned it into a play. The municipality chose the canon as the theme of its boat at Utrecht Pride. The Utrecht queer choirs made a musical performance. The Queer Film Festival organised a city walk.
This enthusiasm was a great incentive for the QUS team to expand the canon to its current version. A canon is never finished. We continue to expand and adapt it, together with a large number of committed volunteers, so that it continues to inspire with ever more elements of Utrecht's rich queer history.
Team
The canon was compiled by many volunteers. The core team consists of Kees van den Berg, Marijke Huisman, Maurice van Lieshout, Gianna Mula and Evert van der Veen.
Contact and info: info@queerustories.nl - +31 6 15 909505 (Evert), https://www.queerustories.nl
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