The COC will be 60 years old this weekend. The organization founded in 1946 made major breakthroughs in gay emancipation. But the real work is just beginning. “Changing the mindset is much more difficult.”
Homosexuality was banned in the Netherlands for a long time. It was seen as 'unnatural', as a disease that could be cured with medicine or therapy. Gays had to be careful in public because they were often victims of violence.
In 1946, the COC was founded and led the difficult fight for gay acceptance. Because of social disapproval, this was done in secret at first. The name COC stood for 'Culture and Recreation Center', a pseudonym.
Very careful steps were taken to break through the negative image of homosexuality. In the 1960s, the COC opened discos for gays and protested against the ban on homosexuality. That was successful:the ban was lifted in the early 1970s.
Still, not everyone accepted that homosexuals openly confessed their sexuality. At a demonstration in 1982 they were verbally abused and pelted with stones. It was not until 1993 that the General Equal Treatment Act was passed. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was now prohibited. Marriage also became possible:the first gay couple tied the knot in 2001 amid great international interest.
“But the real work has only just begun,” says Frank van Dalen, chairman of COC Netherlands. “Changing the mindset is much harder than changing laws. Homosexuality is still not accepted by everyone and homosexuals clash with immigrants as they used to clash with natives.'