The Amsterdam Canal Parade 2005 – Part 1

Yesterday, 6 August, was when this year’s Canal Parade, organised by the G. B. A. (the Gay Business Amsterdam Foundation) was held. It was the tenth anniversary of this event. What started out as merely an excuse for a party has evolved over the years to have a political tinge. This year, perhaps more than ever, the message behind the horns, the whistles and the heavy disco dance music was: "We’re Here, We’re Queer – Get Used to It!"

 

The parade was led by a boat draped in white carrying the photograph of the two teenagers hanged on the 19th July in Iran for the ‘crime’ of being gay. A sombre beginning to a parade that, despite the occasional shower, delighted the 350,000 onlookers lining the Amsterdam canals.