Holding Hands in the Netherlands

Early in the morning of April 2 Gay couple Jasper Vernes-Sewratan and Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes were attacked by a group of six to eight men who saw them holding hands in the eastern city of Arnhem,  The Netherlands.

One of the men lost several teeth, after being beaten with bolt cutters.  The other man had chest, back and leg injuries.

The attack spurred condemnations throughout Netherlands society.  Even the Prime Minister expressed his outrage at the attack.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same sex marriage in 2001. 

But, men in The Netherlands went one step further:  They began holding hands in public.  Gay or straight, men expressed their solidarity with the beating victims by this simple but significant act. 

Twitter came alive with #allemannenhandinhand, encouraging men to share pictures of themselves holding hands. 

“Images shared … show men from all walks of life, gay and straight alike, proudly showing affection for one another in public to show that homophobia will never win the day.”[1]

The report from The Netherlands reminds me of a similar reaction in this country, the “Not in Our Town” movement I wrote about on February 11 in this blog.  Ordinary people, standing up for their neighbors.  Standing up for what’s right.

But as in American, The Netherlands bemoans the fact that hate crimes and acts of violence and intolerance appear to be increasing: “There are several reports of hate crimes in The Netherlands a year. Many of them don’t get as publicized. Our climate seems to slowly but surely become more and more intolerant and violent towards LGBT [people].”[2] 

Ordinary citizens can make an extraordinary impact with ordinary acts, such as holding hands, calling out unkind remarks, standing up for the downtrodden.

Often easier said than done, but the effort must be made.

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[1] For an internet article describing the crime, reaction and photos, click here.  

[2] Id.