Q&A

 

 

People seem to think The Netherlands is some kind of a Gay Bethlehem and that there is no need for improvement or gay activists. Do you see yourself as a gay activist?

 

Marco: I don’t see myself as an activist but I do think it’s important that LGBTs are visible in society. People need to know that we exist and not just that, people need to know that we’re not that different from them. We’re all just human beings looking for the same things in life (love, security, freedom).

 

Are there any gay activist left in The Netherlands?

 

Yes, I think there’s loads of them. All the people organizing prides and LGBT events. Filmmakers that show the world who we are, like Kris van der Veen from Groningen, who got arrested in Russia a couple of months ago while making a documentary about those horrible anti gay laws. And all the people that walk hand in hand on the streets with their partner, that’s not just showing you love someone, it’s also a form of activism in my opinion.

 

Do you think our younger generation fights for gay rights in a different way then generations before them? In what way do you think they approach things differently now?

 

It’s difficult to answer this question for me. Maybe young people today have more tools to fight for gay rights, like the internet. It’s probably a lot easier to find one another.

 

You also make reports for the Amsterdam Gay Pride.

Do you see a difference in the way the Gaypride in Amsterdam has evolved?

 

Yes, the last couple of years the pride has become more professional. I think the organization keeps getting better and there’s more diversity in the events that are being organized. I think it’s a great step for example that there’s a Transgender Pride being organized this year.

 

What are the biggest differences and similarities between gayprides in The Netherlands and Tel Aviv?

 

The pride in Amsterdam is more diverse and it has a lot more of events. It’s focus is on a wide range of subjects and caters to the needs of all LGBTs. The pride in Tel Aviv consist of a lot (a lot) of parties, with a couple of side events and it’s focus is mainly on gay men. The parades are also completely different. Amsterdam is neatly organized and the fact that the parade is on the water is unique. In Tel Aviv the parade is complete and utter chaos, and I have to admit I loved it! People mingle and everyone’s having fun in the sun. It’s just an amazing place to celebrate pride. Both prides are being organized by great people. 

 

How did you come up with the idea for Homopropaganda?

 

Early in 2013 I heard about the plans for the anti gay propaganda bill in Russia and I found it truly depressing. Later that year I was thinking about doing an international version of the program we make for the Amsterdam Gay Pride. I think LGBTs are amazing at taking negative words (like gay, flikker, queer) and turning them into something positive, Homopropaganda had such a negative context that I thought we should make something positive out of it and that’s why we decided to call our new program Homopropaganda.

 

What do you want to accomplish by making these reports all over the world?

 

Marco We think media coverage about LGBTs is often totally stereotypical and negative. You often see the discomfort or hidden prejudice that the makers have with the issues they’re covering. Sometimes it’s also just easier to make something stereotypical then really trying to understand your subject matter. We want to show real people and real faces. We want to show who we are and what we’re all about. And last but not least we want to show that we’re just ordinary human beings like everyone else. All that in positive and fun way.

 

You were able to make the reports through crowd funding. Did you have to do any crazy stuff to get people to donate?

 

Nope, not really. We made one teaser video where I was trying to get some more exposure for our program by being naked hahahaha. 

 

Any tips for our youngsters when they go crowd funding for their own ideas?

 

Yes. Make a plan. Get people involved and work hard. Don’t just expect people to donate. You have to sit down every day to keep people’s interest. Don’t wait for the money to come streaming in (because it won’t). Be pro active, have fun with it and you’ll find out that crowdfunding is very exciting and even a little bit addictive.