newTOKYO

ARTICLE CATEGORIES

  • NEWSニュース
  • LIFE STYLEライフスタイル
  • ENTERTAINMENTエンターテイメント
  • INTERVIEWインタビュー
  • COMICコミック
  • COLUMNコラム
  • PEOPLEピープル
  • GALLERYギャラリー
  • CHANNELチャンネル

TV CATEGORIES

  • RASHIKUらしく
  • FRIENDLY日本の底力
  • PROJECT自分らしく生きる

LANGUAGE

ABOUT ニュートーキョーについて
  • INSTAGRAM
  • TWITTER
  • FACEBOOK
  • YOUTUBE
  • NEWS
  • LIFE STYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • INTERVIEW
  • COMIC
  • COLUMN
  • PEOPLE
  • GALLERY
  • CHANNEL
ホーム>INTERVIEW
2023.01.03

[What’s Amsterdam like? #5] Equality in the eyes of the law – what was the reason for a couple in love to come to the Pride event with their daughter?

Tweet
From left to right: Feroza, Nazira and Dune.

「What’s Amsterdam like?」 is an irregular series of articles introducing LGBTQ+-related topics and events that are based on local interviews conducted in Amsterdam. Incidentally, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, which was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage – something worth remembering.

In the fifth edition , we interviewed Dune and Feroza, who were visiting the Polderheuvel Pride event in Nieuw West, the west side of Amsterdam. We asked them about their views on family and raising their daughter, Nazira.

ーーI want my daughter Nazira to grow up to be respectful and accepting of everyone.

ーーThank you for your cooperation despite the short notice (we did a crash interview!).  Could you briefly introduce yourselves?

Dune: It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it. My name is Dune. I was born in Amsterdam to an Indonesian mother and a Turkish father, and I will be 41 this year.

Feroza: My name is Feroza. I am from the Indische Buurt in Amsterdam (a multicultural neighborhood) and I will become 39 this year. I do singing for a living.

Nazira: My name is Nazira, I am 9 years old and I have an older sister 7 years older than me. My hobby used to be drawing, but since they bought me a smartphone I haven’t been interested in drawing at all… (laughs).

ーーThank you. Could you tell us about how you met and became a couple?

Feroza: I met Dune four years ago, on 21 October, in a café where people of black descent gather. I had just broken up with my girlfriend at the time, but when I saw Dune I instantly fell in love. I was going through a lot of difficulties when we met, but now I’m happy that we’ve overcome them and are spending time together.

Dune: One of the difficulties Feroza mentioned was that at the time I met her, I had just lost a dear friend, someone from the LGBTQ+ community, who was having a hard time living and made the choice to take his life by overdose.

I was feeling down for a while, but I was able to recover thanks to Feroza, who has been there for me from the moment we met until now. I am very grateful to her because she has made me the person I am today.

ーーYou mentioned that you two are in a partnership system, how do you think same-sex couples in the Netherlands view the form of marriage?

Feroza: I am not sure. I think it really depends. For example, some people don’t choose to get married because they say ‘getting married is like pandering to hetero culture’, while some people get married because of the symbolic connotations. Of course, there are those who would get married anyway because it’s tax-deductible.

In any case, they have talked about what they want to be and have made a choice that is in line with their lifestyle. And I think the most important thing is not what form it takes, but whether or not you can develop true love in the relationship you choose. As long as you can do that, you can get through anything, no matter what form it takes.

As a consequence, some people choose partnership over marriage because of the simplicity of the procedure, regardless of sexual orientation.

Dune: The right to ‘marriage’ was won by the queer community’s strong belief that everyone should have equal rights, but it is up to them to choose whether they want to carry it out or not. It is good to have equal rights, including being able to make a choice. On the other hand, it is very unfortunate that you do not yet have such a right to decide in Japan.

I understand that there are people in Japan who want to have same-sex marriages, like in the Netherlands. The Netherlands also went through such a period in the past, and here we are now. I hope that people in Japan will continue to have strong feelings about this issue.

In the past, inadequacies were pointed out in the Netherlands, such as the difficulty for same-sex couples to adopt a child, or the fact that when two women are married and one of them has a child, the biological mother of the child can use the maternity leave system, but her partner cannot. Recently, however, the system is gradually being improved.

ーーDid you have any special feelings about bringing your daughter, Nazira, to the Pride Parade?

Dune: I believe that it is essential for people to receive quality education in a safe place in order for them to grow into open-minded people. This time we came here together as part of that. Nazira once asked me, “What is transgender?” and I think we have a duty to explain those questions correctly.

Feroza: Children are innocent and so they have honest reactions, such as ‘weird’ or ‘scary’, to what is in front of them. We cannot blame them for that in itself. But if it was, for example, an LGBTQ+ person, then even if a child makes the comment, it would still be hurtful. I wanted Nazira to see and feel from an early age that it is normal that there are many different people.

ーーI think you have a wonderful belief. How did you feel about actually coming to the Pride Parade, Nazira?

Nazira: Hmmm… It is both a bit boring and fun (laughs).

Dune: haha (laughs). I would be happy if she got some idea of what kind of people her mothers are though (laughs). I would be happy if she will be accepting and respectful towards everyone. It is really important for children to learn that it is totally fine to be from any culture, religion or sexuality. It is also important to have a place where they can learn, so I think it’s been a good experience for Nazira to come here.

Two organisers  of Polderheuvel Pride.

ーーPolderheuvel Pride organisers aim for ‘LGBTQ+ rights to be protected worldwide’

Polderheuvel Pride, held for the first time this year, offered free fruit, sweets, lemonade, and coffee along with providing a playground, as well as face painting and a stage performance by a gay chorus. The area around the venue is home to many conservative Muslim families with relatively low incomes, and one of the aims of the event was to create contact with them.

The organisers said: ‘’We saw some families where the parents were LGBTQ+ people and they brought their children, and we also saw some families who came consciously because their children are LGBTQ+ people themselves. There were also families who happened to pass by and dropped by, so it was a mix of different people”, and they were pleased to see a busy venue.

Finally, when we asked the organisers about the society they are aiming for, they replied: “We are working for a society where LGBTQ+ rights are protected all over the world and everyone is treated equally, but unfortunately it will not happen in my lifetime. However, we think it is important for us to keep trying”.

■What’s Amsterdam like? #5
Interview and text/HAGA Takashi
Photo/EISUKE
Interpreter/Kuwabara Karin (Saw Communications)
Cooperation/ The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan, Dutch Culture
Article produced by/ newTOKYO

※This interview was conducted as part of a visitors program organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan.

日本語記事はこちら
#04
#06

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LINE
  • はてなブックマーク
  • リンクをコピー

あわせて読みたい!

【“わ”の札】あるある!いるいる!ル~ルルル♪つぶやきかるたでさらえる「gAy to Z」

2023.01.08

“こっち界隈”のSNSでなんとなぁ~く見かけることが多い投稿内容を、かるたにまとめてご紹介する不定期コーナー『gAy to Z』!! お笑い第7世代に倣い“誰も傷つかずクスッと笑える”をモットーに、ゲイ(以外のLBTQも)のアレやコレやを1記事5秒で復習(さら)えていきましょう♡ サムネイルだけを見て、5・7・5の読み札の内容に見当がついた人は相当な手練れよ~! 第44回目となる最後は「わ」から始… もっと読む »

続きを読む >
2023.01.24

【5/20(土)公開】2017年公開「老ナルキソス 」を長編映画化。ナルシストな老絵本作家と売り専ボーイ、2人の葛藤から家族のあり方を問いかける。

2023.01.24

映画「エゴイスト」松永大司監督&ドリアン・ロロブリジーダトークショー付き試写会。「ゲイコミュニティに属する方々にこそ観ていただきたい」。

2023.01.21

チヒロックん家の、コンドームでも見てく? コレクションNo.15 ゴルゴ13

2023.01.20

リアルでまっすぐなガールフッド(=少女時代)を描く青春映画「ガール・ピクチャー」が4/7(金)より公開。

2023.01.19

【アフターレポート】「ル・ポール」ファンも熱狂の3時間!濃密なドラァグショー「OPULENCE」に酔いしれる。

2023.01.10

明日を創る#NONORMAL、「選択肢を増やす」3ブランドのポップアップに行ってみたら。

2023.01.03

【アムステルダムって、どこ?#05】法の平等の下、愛を育むカップルが娘とプライドイベントに来た理由とは?

2023.01.03

[What’s Amsterdam like? #5] Equality in the eyes of the law – what was the reason for a couple in love to come to the Pride event with their daughter?

2022.12.30

初!九州3県も対象に!完全無料・匿名の郵送HIV検査「check72」申込が1月11日(水)まで開催!

2022.12.18

【“ろ”の札】あるある!いるいる!ル~ルルル♪つぶやきかるたでさらえる「gAy to Z」

2022.12.17

チヒロックん家の、コンドームでも見てく? コレクションNo.14 TRUST

2022.12.16

【1/13公開映画】「世界は僕らに気づかない」主演・堀家一希さん×監督・飯塚花笑さんインタビュー。真っ直ぐに想うほど衝突する、母と息子の愛を描く。

COMIC

Pickles!

松本ゆうす

2人のゲイ友のツカサとダイゴがシェアハウスで繰り広げる何でもない日常の4コマ漫画。

腰掛けOB

TSUKURU

30半ばの会社員ゲイたちがクオリティオブライフを向上させるため、自分を貫く姿を描く2コマ漫画

虹色サンライズ

前田ポケット

《ゲイ上京物語》九州の片田舎、大学生になった中野ヒロシが上京する前日、真夜中から始まるお話。

玄太はオレが好き

野原くろ

光への気持ちを隠している玄太の、溢れ出す「好き」がもうどうにも止まらない。

COLUMN

まくのうちぃシネマ

よしひろまさみち

映画ライター・よしひろまさみちの今観て欲しい映画〜懐かしい映画を紹介する連載コラム

カルぺディエム

井上健斗

FTM・井上健斗がトランスジェンダーのモヤモヤやハッピーな生き方を伝える連載コラム

  • ニュートーキョーについて
  • プライバシーポリシー
  • 運営会社について
  • お問い合わせ
  • 広告掲載について

Copyright © newTOKYO All Rights Reserved.