Photo: Philippe Vogelenzang
Interview: Natasja Floor
“For me Pride is a celebration of freedom. In Amsterdam I feel free to be who I want to be, and I want to share that feeling. In my documentary ‘Strijders voor de Liefde’ I saw what it’s like to live as a gay person in countries like Uganda or Croatia. Afterwards, with the concert ‘Strijders voor de liefde on stage’ I witnessed the impact of putting LGBTQ+ people from places such as Russia on a stage and giving them applause for the freedoms they still have to fight for. The inspiration and energy they took home to continue their struggle was incredible.”
Interview Sipke Jan
“I want to bring people together”
“I like to make the world a little more beautiful than it already is. I do this by producing media with my company 24Life. After watching the 2008 film ‘Milk’ about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected politician in the United States, I felt inspired. I wondered what I, as a media maker, could do to contribute to gay emancipation. That led to the idea of filming the ‘Harvey Milks’ of today. It took another four years before everything fell into place with my documentary ‘Strijders voor de Liefde’. This documentary tells the story of gay men and lesbians who must fight in their countries for the right to love each other. For me, it marked the start of a new phase in which I developed myself as a producer.”
“When I was asked to be an ambassador for EuroPride 2016 I also thought about the children who used to watch the shows I presented on Dutch television, like the Junior Songfestival. Imagine they see my poster in the city and think, ‘Hey, Sipke Jan is gay too.’ I know that small things like that can make a difference. Visibility is the solution. That's also what I learned during my travels and from everyone I spoke with. As an LGBTQ+ community it’s important to be visible in all our diversity — that increases acceptance.”
“As ambassador for EuroPride 2016 I mainly do what fits me. I want to connect people through media and special projects. Like in 2015 with the social media project ‘Love Exchange’. In this Love experiment five Dutch celebrities were paired with activists from countries where homosexuality is not, or barely, accepted. The documentary linked to it, ‘Vrijen in Vrijheid’, delivered beautiful moments. Like the Ukrainian drag performer Zhanna, who for the first time in her life experienced what it’s like to walk the streets safely in drag. It was so moving to see her feel freedom as she walked along Amsterdam’s canals in costume, and to witness the positive reactions of the people she met.”
“And staying with the Amsterdam canals and connection: last year there was quite an uproar from residents of the Prinsengracht about noise during the Canal Parade. As a Prinsengracht resident myself I want to make sure all my neighbours join in again and celebrate this festival of freedom.”
Pride Ambassador since 2016
