NL Times, vrijdag 9 oktober om 08:15, 3 min lezen
Parliament votes to fly rainbow flag on Coming Out Day as schools join Purple Friday
Friday, 9 October 2026 - 08:15
A parliamentary majority approved flying the rainbow flag on the Tweede Kamer building on Coming Out Day. Parliament approved the decision by roll-call vote on Thursday evening, just hours before the start of Purple Friday, when a record number of schools and higher education institutions will take part in programs to promote acceptance, tolerance, and self-confidence in their communities.
During the vote late on Thursday evening, 90 parliamentarians voted for flying the rainbow flag, and 36 voted against, NOS reported. Although the MPs voted individually, it was clear that a majority of D66, VVD, CDA, PRO, PvdD, SP, ChristenUnie, 50Plus, and Volt members supported flying the flag. MPs from JA21 and Groep Markuszower were absent. The PVV, FvD, DENK, and SGP voted against.
This will be the first time the rainbow flag will be displayed at the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament. The question of whether or not to fly the symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community sparked a rather heated debate behind the scenes of the Tweede Kamer in recent days, RTL Nieuws reported.
The Presidium, the Kamer’s executive board, initially decided to do it, but changed their minds after small Christian parties, the SGP in particular, found out about the plan and objected. “The rainbow flag is not a national flag, but a flag representing special-interest groups that have since evolved into a symbol of activism,” said SGP MP Diederik van Dijk.
Opposition parties PRO, PvdD, 50Plus, and Volt were so outraged by the change of course that they tabled a motion to reverse the decision. “The Tweede Kamer must stand up for the rights of the global LGBTI movement,” the MPs said in the motion. It is also important for Tweede Kamer staff to have “an inclusive working environment,” they wrote.
The SGP insisted on a roll-call vote on the motion on Thursday evening. That meant that many parliamentarians who had already gone home had to be called back for the vote, to much annoyance. BBB MP Caroline van der Plas, who had returned from her hometown of Deventer, spoke of a waste of thousands of kilometers of travel. ChristenUnie MP described the whole affair as “sad and farcical,” but still voted in favor of the motion. “For the sake of the people involved,” he said.
Purple Friday
Today, a record 3,130 schools are participating in Purple Friday. Students and teachers dress in purple to demonstrate their commitment to creating a school environment where everyone can be themselves, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last year, 2,980 schools participated.
There have been growing concerns within advocacy groups regarding the faltering acceptance of diverse sexualities and genders. A study published earlier this month showed that there was a slight drop from 86 to 84 percent in acceptance of gay and lesbian people, while acceptance of transgender people fell from 66 to 63 percent over the past two years.
Acceptance of intersex people dropped from 68 to 66 percent, and a similar drop was recorded regarding non-binary people. Acceptance of that group fell from 54 to 52 percent, according to the study by Movisie, Ipsos I&O, and Panteia.
“This stagnation of acceptance is a worrying development, especially in combination with declining acceptance among young people,” said the heads of the LGBTQI+ advocacy groups, COC and Transgender Netwerk, in a joint statement.
They want schools, all levels of government, and social media platforms to combat discrimination, stand up to the bullying attitudes attributed to the manosphere influencers, and to promote media literacy. This can help promote a wider level of tolerance, as can participation in Purple Friday, and displaying symbols of acceptance, like the rainbow flag.
COC told RTL Nieuws that schools seemed to take the faltering acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people seriously. “Following the release of figures showing declining acceptance among young people, we have been inundated with requests,” COC director Marie Ricardo told the broadcaster. "Together with these enthusiastic people, we will ensure that the Netherlands remains a great place to live."