Photo: Philippe Vogelenzang
Interview: Natasja Floor
"For me, Pride is the celebration of freedom. Here in Amsterdam, I feel free to be who I want to be and I want to share that feeling. In my documentary ' Fighters for Love', I saw what it's like to live as a gay man in countries like Uganda or Croatia. Then, with the concert 'Fighters for Love on stage', I saw what an impact it has to put LGBT people from Russia, among others, on a stage, receiving applause for the freedom they still have to fight for. The inspiration and energy they took back home to continue their struggle was incredible."
Interview Sipke Jan
"I like to connect people"
"I like to make the world more beautiful than it already is. I do this by producing media with my company 24Life. After seeing the film 'Milk' in 2008, about Harvey Milk the first openly gay elected politician in the United States, I became inspired. I wondered what I could do as a media maker to contribute to gay emancipation. So the idea of filming the 'Harvey Milks' of today was born. It took another four years for everything to fall into place with my documentary 'Fighters for Love'. This documentary tells the story of gays and lesbians who have to fight in their countries to be allowed to love each other. This was the start of a new phase of life for me in which I started developing myself as a producer."
"When I was asked as ambassador for EuroPride 2016, I also thought about the children who used to watch the programmes I presented on Dutch television such as the Junior Songfestival. Suppose they see my poster hanging in the city and think 'Hey, Sipke Jan is gay too.' I know you can make a difference with things like that. Visibility is the solution. That is also really what I have learnt during my travels and from all the people I have spoken to. As an LGBT community, it is important to be visible in all diversity, it increases acceptance."
"As an ambassador for EuroPride 2016, I mainly do what suits me. I like to connect people through media and special projects. Like I did in 2015 with the social media project ' Love Exchange'. In this Love Experiment, 5 Dutch celebrities were paired with activists from countries where homosexuality is not or hardly accepted. The linked docu ' Vrijen in Vrijheid' produced some wonderful moments. Like the Ukrainian transvestite Zhanna, who experiences for the first time in her life what it is like to move safely on the streets in transvestism. So beautiful to see how she experiences a sense of freedom as she walks the Amsterdam canals decked out, and the positive reactions from the people she encounters ".
"And to stay with Amsterdam's canals and connect, there was quite a fuss from Prisengracht residents last year about noise pollution during the Canal Parade. As a Prinsengracht resident, I would like to ensure that all my neighbours join in again and celebrate the festival of freedom."
Pride Ambassador since 2016
