Photo: Philippe Vogelenzang
Interview: Natasja Floor
“For me Pride is the celebration of freedom. I feel free here in Amsterdam to be who I want to be, and I want to share that feeling. In my documentary ‘Strijders voor de Liefde’ I showed what it is like to live as a gay person in countries such as Uganda or Croatia. Later, with the concert ‘Strijders voor de liefde on stage’, I saw the impact of putting LGBTQ people from places like Russia on stage and giving them an applause for the freedom they still have to fight for. The inspiration and energy they took home to continue their struggle was incredible.”
Interview Sipke Jan
“I like to connect people”
“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 stories of gay men and lesbians who have to fight in their countries to be allowed to love each other. For me this was 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 of the children who used to watch the TV shows I presented in the Netherlands, like the Junior Songfestival. Imagine they see my poster in the city and think ‘Hey, Sipke Jan is gay too.’ I know that things like that can make a difference. Visibility is the solution. That is also what I really learned during my travels and from all the people I spoke to. As the LGBTQ community, it’s important to be visible in all our diversity — that increases acceptance.”
“As an ambassador for EuroPride 2016 I do mainly what suits me. I want to connect people through media and special projects. Like I did in 2015 with the social media project ‘Love Exchange’. In this Love Experiment five well-known Dutch people were paired with activists from countries where homosexuality is not or hardly accepted. The related documentary ‘Vrijen in Vrijheid’ produced beautiful moments. Like the Ukrainian drag performer Zhanna, who for the first time in her life experienced what it is like to walk safely in public in drag. It was so moving to see how she felt freedom as she paraded along the Amsterdam canals, and the positive reactions of the people she met.”
“And to stay with the Amsterdam canals and connection — there was quite an uproar last year from residents of the Prinsengracht about noise nuisance during the Canal Parade. As a Prinsengracht resident I want to ensure that all my neighbours join in again and celebrate the festival of freedom.”
Pride Ambassador since 2016
