there follows some photos of the Amsterdam gay monument, i took on my recent trip, but first a description S
Gay Monument The Gay Monument near the Westerkerk in Amsterdam is the world's first and only monument for gays. It is a memorial to all persecuted homosexuals. Unveiled in 1987, the monument has for years been an inspiration and comfort to many people. Pink triangle The Gay Monument is designed by Karin Daan and consists of three pink, granite triangles, together forming one larger triangle. The pink triangle is the mark homosexuals were forced to wear in Nazi camps. Since 1970, many have started to consider it as an honorary sign to war with pride, a thought that became the basis of 'Gay Pride'. Meaning The triangles of the Gay Monument each have their own meaning. The water triangle of pink stone can be found in the water at the Prinsengracht. This is the triangle of the present. It is used as a setting to commemorate the victims of AIDS. The memorial triangle on street level at the Prinsengracht represents the past. It contains a line from the poem 'Aan een Jongen Visscher' (To a Young Fisher Boy) by the homosexual Dutch poet Jacob Isra•l de Haan: 'Naar vriendschap zulk een mateloos verlangen' ('Such immense desire for friendship'). The stage triangle next to the Westerkerk symbolises a step towards a better future. Near the Gay Monument is Pink Point, the information point for gays and lesbians. It offers a wide range of information on the Gay Monument and gay Amsterdam.
on the first picture notice the gents urinal near it that many people find ironic, the guy sitting on the second picture is me S
I think the Buschdocter coffeeshop is right near there; it's vaguely elitist, if you don't speak Dutch, but very good gear... You may have to be a bit more specific about the public urinals; anyone that hasn't visited Dam is not likely to recognise it as a toilet facility Nice piccies... makes me yearn for my forthcoming holiday....
That's really cool. I think the US needs something like this. By the way, that sure is a handsome devil in the second picture.
Man, now I definitely want to live in Amsterdam when I'm of age. Sounds like the nearest thing to a utopia on all of Earth.
gay men other wise known as sexual perverts where slaughtered and tourtured on mass by the nazi movement, to wear the pink triangle made you the lowest of the low, thats why its been made into an empowerment by gay men and women since S
Great pictures Samhain, of the monument. I have visited Amsterdam on a 4 occasions and each time I visit, I come to this spot. It is a truly remarkable work. This site just as the Anne Frank house which is nearby, should be viewed by all. We must never forget the horrors of the Nazi era.
