Amsterdam

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Gay & Lesbian Amsterdam

For gays and lesbians worldwide, Amsterdam is the number-one destination. The city’s liberal reputation is legendary and has, over the centuries, attracted flocks of differently feathered birds from all over the planet.

Holland decriminalised homosexuality in 1811 and lowered the age of consent for gay men to 16 in 1971. But it made headlines in 2002, as the first nation to legalise same-sex marriage for nationals and residents. In the first year 1,339 male and 1,075 female couples tied the knot. But in 2003 the number of gays and lesbians saying ‘I do’ dropped 25 per cent.

 

Although there’s been stiff competition from hip cities like Barcelona and Berlin, the old queen is not giving in. True, locals sometimes curse the lack of new initiatives, but at the same time they are a lazy bunch and tend to stick to their favourite hang-outs, giving new places a hard time. That said, for a small city it still has much to offer, whatever your flavour or fetish.

 

But not everything is pink-tinted. The lesbian scene is small with only half a dozen or so bars and club nights, and there’s not a lot of mixing between

Essential information

Although Amsterdam deserves its reputation, the warmth with which gay people are received in the Netherlands is cooling. In autumn 2004, there was a kerfuffle in the papers over some schools’ refusal of a special educational edition of young people’s gay mag Expreszo, and with the CDA (Christian Democrats) in power there’s a palpable change in the moral climate. This has translated into a clampdown on cruising: the layout of Nieuwe Meer, near Amsterdamse Bos, has been changed to make it more family-friendly, and Highland cattle have been introduced; they not only trim the grass but keep sylvan sexual activity under control, too – would you want a cow stepping on your delicate bits? The most central cruising area is the rose garden in Vondelpark (though only after dark). Since there aren’t many public toilets, cottaging is pretty much impossible, and ijzerkrullen (the curly metal urinals dotted all over the city) are designed to let you see if they are occupied – and by how many people.

 

Most of these changes are directed toward gay men. The city councillor most vocal in the current campaign to close down darkrooms outside the red light district and clean up nudity on the Pride parade is, ironically, a lesbian.

 

The relaxed laws about prostitutes include gay ones (prostitutes for lesbians are unheard of) and the Gouden Gids (Yellow Pages) and gay press list dozens of escort agencies aimed at gay men. But the rent-boy bars on Paardenstraat are exploitative, miserable and dangerous: you have been warned.

 

Attitudes to HIV/AIDS have been proactive right from the start. Safe-sex information is compulsory in darkrooms – which are regulated – and plenty of the leather places organise safe-sex parties. Free condoms aren’t universal on the scene, however, and it’s a depressing fact that STDs – including HIV – are on the up and barebacking is as popular and controversial here as elsewhere.

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