Raising the rainbow flag against the Nashville Statement

Last Tuesday, Erasmus University raised the rainbow flag in a show of solidarity with the LGBT+ community in response to the Nashville Statement.

The Nashville Statement has been signed by some 250 Dutch citizens, most of whom hail from the orthodox Protestant Christian community. One of the signatories of the anti-gay manifesto is SGP Member of Parliament Leader Kees van der Staaij. Among other things, the statement affirms that ‘faithful Christians’ need to reject homosexuality and transgenderism. In addition, the Statement appears to suggest that homosexuality is a curable condition. The Dutch Public Prosecutor is currently investigating whether the pamphlet’s contents are punishable by law.

Many institutions, including Erasmus University Rotterdam, have raised a rainbow flag in response to the circulation of the Nashville Statement. An EUR spokesperson has stated that the university ‘stands for diversity and inclusiveness’. “We are a unified community that doesn’t exclude anyone – where you can be who you are and love whom you want.”