Doneer
Donate Become a member Become a volunteer

On Saturday the 1st of August we’ll take part in the Canal Parade during World Pride. This is the day where we can showcase a strong message and statement that together we can fight for a safer and more just world for the LGBTQIA+ community and everyone else.

Message of our boat & our demands

COC is the oldest LGBTQIA+ organisation in the world and this year we will celebrate our 80th anniversary. We actively work for the emancipation, acceptance, and equal rights of LGBTI+ people in the Netherlands and the rest of the world. This year our boat is an urgent call to join the fight for human rights. Even though there will be an emphasis on LGBTQIA+ rights we also know that all human rights & freedoms are closely linked to each other. Therefore we do believe in an intersectional approach. Many of our human rights are under pressure. Not just in The Netherlands but worldwide. Our boat constitutes a powerful, inspiring and hopeful statement with some of our demands and a call to action for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies to unite.

Some of our demands are:

There are various ways you can help us.
From donating to becoming a member or volunteering. Together, we can contribute to a safe, diverse, and inclusive society where everyone can be themselves. Click on one of the buttons below to learn more about how you can support us and join the fight for human rights.
Donate Become a member Become a volunteer

Our boat

Our boat will tell an [complete and] inspiring story that makes people think and gives them the means to take action. On our boat we offer space and attention to those who came before us – to their voices, their statements and their fight – but also showcases important historical milestones of the past 80 years that COC Netherlands has achieved together with many people and organisations. Two spoken word artists, India Hernandis & Hasan Gök, will tell these stories and will then lead everyone into chanting chants that are commonly used by activists worldwide during human rights demonstrations. Chants like ‘No justice, no peace’ and ‘The people united will never be defeated’.

This way we can learn, draw hope, see progress, and unite while also acknowledging the reality we live in & the struggles we face. We invite people to take collective responsibility to join the fight for a diverse, inclusive and just society. In our FAQ at the bottom of the page we have a list with the LGBTQAI+ icons and milestones we feature on our boat.

 

Why we participate in Canal Pride
For many people a day like Canal Pride is important in ways that are hard to describe in words. A day that is rooted in protest but holds space for celebration of the community. Something that for many of the people on our boat is not a given. Many were born in places or families where freely celebrating, or even just being, who you are is not an option. We stand firmly with them and want to give them the space to do so.

Join us and become a member

By becoming a member of COC Netherlands, you amplify our voice and support the fight for equality and acceptance in the Netherlands. You join a movement that has been standing up for LGBTI+ rights for 80 years and gain access to a warm community. As a member, you contribute to our mission and gain access to events. Join – Change is made together.
Become a member

Join us and become a volunteer

For eighty years, volunteers have been the driving force behind COC, enabling LGBTI+ people throughout the Netherlands to find support, safety, and a voice. At a time when our community is under pressure, their commitment is more important than ever. By becoming a volunteer, you join an association that fights, celebrates, and looks forward to a future where everyone can be themselves in freedom. Become a volunteer – especially now.
Become a volunteer

Support the COC and donate

Every euro you donate is directly used by COC Netherlands for the safety and rights of LGBTI+ people worldwide. Your support makes it possible for us to provide help where it is needed, campaign against discrimination, and create a safe place for our community. In times when our rights are under pressure, financial support is crucial to continue our work. Donate – and make a difference.

Donate

FAQ
1: Which LGBTQIA+ icons and quotes are being featured on the boat?

  • “No Pride for some of us without the liberation for all of us” – Marsha P. Johnson (1945 -1992), Lgbtq+ activist & drag queen.
  • “Bringing people together gives you the feeling that you are not alone. People can change the world together” – Niek Engelschman (1913 – 1988), resistance fighter, gay activist, co-founder of the COC
  • “As a Jew I wasn’t supposed to be here physically and as a homosexual I wasn’t supposed to be here mentally. I refused to accept that” – Benno Premsela (1920 – 1997),
    Advocate for gay emancipation and chairperson of COC
  • “My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you” – Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992), Black feminist, lesbian, poet, mother, warrior
  • “If you are Black and gay in South Africa, then it really is all the same closet… inside is darkness and oppression. Outside is freedom.” – Simon Nkoli (1957 -1998),
    South African Anti-apartheid, gay rights, and AIDS activist
  • “I am with Palestinian liberation with every breath in my body” – Leslie Feinberg (1949 -2014), lesbian, Jewish transgenderactivist & revolutionary
  • “What does it mean to insist on visibility in a place where visibility is criminalized?” – Sarah Hegazi (1989 -2020), Egyptian, super gay, and feminist
  • “The roses of resistance bloom from asphalt” – Marielle Franco (1979 – 2018), Brazilian bisexual Black woman & mother from the favelas, feminist & human rights activist

2: Which milestones are being featured on the boat?

1946: Foundation of COC: The oldest still active lgbtq+ organisation worldwide

1971: Decriminalization: End of the last form of criminalization in The Netherlands

2001: Marriage: Netherlands becomes the first country to open marriage to same-sex couples.

2006: Asylum: Lgbti+ refugees are no longer allowed to be sent ‘back into the closet’, even though this rule is still not always applied.

2020: Worldwide support: We supports 300 lgbti+ organisations in over 30 countries.

2023: Constitution: Lgbti+ human rights are enshrined in the Dutch Constitution.

2026: Conversion is banned: So called ‘conversion therapy’ is banned by law.

2026 – onward: Equality & justice for all. Together we will achieve a future with many more lifesaving milestones in our fight for equality, justice and liberation for all.

Donate Become a member Become a volunteer