Yesterday was Coming Out Day, a special (and particularly busy) day each year! The CBS kicked it off with a new report revealing that there are 2.7 million LGBTQIA+ people in the Netherlands.
Barbara Oud from Bi+ Nederland and I were both interviewed about it. I discussed how these kinds of figures can contribute to raising awareness among cis-hetero people, and Barbara talked about the importance for bi+ people to know they are not alone. You can find the article here.
“According to Barbara Oud from Bi+ Nederland, it’s ‘extremely important for bi+ people to see that they are not alone. Even in regional areas, there are people struggling with this, for instance, thinking: I’m the only woman in a relationship with a man who has these feelings or needs. This brings up a lot of loneliness. It helps to see that there are another 1.7 million people dealing with the same thing.’ “
“According to Jojanneke van der Toorn, professor at Leiden University with the special chair in LGBT+ Workplace Inclusion, it’s important to continue monitoring and publishing these figures. ‘It’s easy to underestimate how many people we’re talking about’, she says. ‘There should be policies, recognition, and appreciation even for smaller groups, but when people realize that they probably know a lot of LGBTQIA+ people themselves, it can help with acceptance.’ '“
