Street intimidation, violence and threats. Queer people deal with hatred on the daily basis. Most incidents are reported on the streets and in the nightlife. Intimidation and violence against the queer community has increased and is expected to increase even more. What is the importance of queer bars for the community?
‘Kanker homo!’, Jesse Ruijs heard last month while leaving a queer club after a nice night out with his friends. A group of boys walked passed him while he was getting his bike ready to go home. The rest of the group laughed after one of the boys made this comment. This is not the first time Jesse experienced intimidation on the streets, especially in the nightlife. For him comments like this have become a ‘normal’ thing.
Jesse (26) is a boy from Utrecht who happens to be queer and who enjoys dancing in different cities the weekends. Often when he enters the nightlife, he has to deal with judging looks and threatful comments about his sexuality. Jesse is not the only queer person who experiences this.
In 2024 the incidents surrounding the queer community have increased. CBS research shows that in 2023 15 percent of the queer people in the Netherlands experienced violence and 53 percent experienced intimidation. In 2019 this percentage was around 33 percent, shows research of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. Several incidents in 2024 show that these events continue to occur. Jesse adds that in his experience most people accept the queer community but it’s mostly individuals or peer pressured groups who make it unsafe.
‘In the streets I’m very aware of my surroundings. In the night people have been drinking and they can be more aggressive, also inside clubs. I remember one time when I went out with a big group of people, a few of them got surrounded by a group of men. A few others and me were already walking a bit further so we didn’t notice it. We heard a loud siren and saw a police car. Later we found out that the ambulance came for one person of this group. You can fill in yourself what happened’, Jesse says.
For lots of people incidents like this are the reason why they find queer clubs important. The feeling of community, safety and the feeling that you can be yourself without being judged. Queer clubs are for everyone. You’re also welcome if you’re not queer. Neon Nior, a queer event in Utrecht highlights this on their website: ‘Everyone who feels like going can come, as long as you like a queer party. Period.’
In the Netherlands there are different queer bars and clubs like club NYX in Amsterdam and Bodytalk in Utrecht. For Jesse the main difference between queer clubs and non queer clubs is feeling comfortable and safe. ‘In a non queer club I’m more aware on how I present myself and what kind of people are surrounding me. In a queer club I dance free and expressive and in a non queer club I try to adapt to the people around me to prevent comments, looks or intimidation.’
Person dancing expressive in Neon Nior
The government, the Rijksoverheid, is taking more measures to improve safety for queers. For example, there are so-called ‘Rainbowcities’, including Utrecht, that receive money from the government to improve the safety. In these cities where attention is paid to queer people, it is clearer in which places most incidents take place. This allows for better prevention on the streets. For clubs however there are no specific guidelines to improve the safety. NPO writes that the police wants to work with more efficient camera surveillance. That means checking if the cameras are aimed the right way and if the quality is good. In short, keeping an extra eye on things. But it is unclear whether this will really have an effect.
