{"id":127135,"date":"2021-05-21T17:23:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T15:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=127135"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:38","slug":"eurovision-has-always-been-about-the-fight-for-equal-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/05\/21\/eurovision-has-always-been-about-the-fight-for-equal-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Eurovision has always been about the fight for equal rights’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Together with Studium Generale, Erasmus Pride hosted a movie event on Tuesday. The LGBTQ+ student association is organising multiple events because Eurovision is in town. Guest speakers Bahia Tahzib-Lie, the Dutch Human Rights Ambassador, and Nadja Houben, the director of the foundation Human Rights in the Picture, joined alongside twenty participants.<\/p>\n

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The event began with participants watching the documentary Out & About<\/em>, threaded through parents speaking up about their LGBTQ+ children from different countries, cultural and religious backgrounds: Kenya, Russia, and Indonesia, and sharing their journeys. The Indonesian parents were trying to love their child for who he is. While the Kenyan mom fully embraced her daughter\u2019s identity and worked on building a more LGBTQ+ friendly community.<\/p>\n

Opening up<\/h2>

After the documentary, p<\/span>articipants shared<\/span> their experiences and concerns. Guus<\/span>, an exchange student in<\/span>Istanbul, asked the guest speakers: \u201cS<\/span>ome friends of mine are gay couples. Most of them couldn\u2019t tell their parents about their sexuality until now. What\u2019s your advice for people who live in an anti-LGBTQ+ environment to open up about their identity?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould it be possible for your friends to watch this documentary with their parents?\u201d, Houben advised Guus.\u201cMy father has friends whose son is gay. It\u2019s hard for his religious family to handle. So my father invited them over to watch the film together. It helped to start the conversation. This could be a small thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kudos<\/h2>

Another participant, from the United States, knows what it feels like to come out to religious family members: \u201cMy mom and grandmother are religious. I was surprised that my mom said she still loved me when I came out last summer. I immediately began to cry. But after several months, I heard that my grandma was praying that I was not gay.\u201d Houben encouraged her: \u201cWe could not ask too much from our parents. They are also from a very different generation. You\u2019ve achieved a lot. Kudos to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the second half of the discussion, Fabian Lips, chair of Erasmus Pride, brought up the connection between LGBTQ+ communities and Eurovision. \u201cSome people may think it\u2019s just a song contest\u201d, says Fabian Lips. \u201cBut it\u2019s not. Eurovision has always been political. There are always subtle hints in performances indicating the fight for equal rights. Either in the theme or in the way the participants dress or in the singers\u2019 identity. It\u2019s a stage where people pushing their own political agendas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inclusivity<\/h2>

Houben<\/span> agreed with h<\/span>im. \u201cEurovision is always connected to LGBTQ+ and inclusivity. It provides tightened visibility for the community. The Russian protagonist in the documentary studies at Erasmus University, and he is a huge fan of Eurovision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The discussion was ended by Tahzib-Lie\u2019s encouraging comment: \u201cThis is a big world. The fight for human rights is a never-ending process. It varies from country to country. This year we see Eurovision held in Rotterdam, it will bring more hope to the LGBTQ+ community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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