It’s summer so it’s time for Antwerp Pride and Antwerp Queer Arts Festival (AQAF). From 4 to 27 August, AQAF hosts queer artists being queer, in the alternative, quirky, more rebellious sense of the word. Antwerp Pride, from 9 to 13 August, is more mainstream, openly catering to everyone and thus attracting a general, more mainstream LGBTQIA+ and allied public. This year’s pride theme is ‘Braveolution‘.

Acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in Belgium is good, is apparent from many attitude surveys. But when ‘turned into practice’, acceptance is a little bit lower. Running up to Antwerp Pride 2022, TV channel VTM and newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws conducted such an attitude survey in Flanders. 

• 73% or the respondents takes it for granted that two women walk hand in hand in public.
• 59% takes it for granted that two men walk hand in hand in public.
• 23% thinks it is a bridge too far that same-sex parents can adopt a child
• 29% believes that a child should be brought up by a man and a woman.
• 89% believes that everyone should be able to express their sexual orientation freely.

So 59% of the respondents consider it self-evident that two men walk hand in hand in public, compared to 73% for two women. 

17% finds it unacceptable or strange two men walk hand in hand. 10% finds it unacceptable or strange two women walk hand in hand. 24% of the Flemings experiences discomfort when seeing men holding hands, 17% of the Flemings experiences discomfort when seeing women holding hands. 

Call to action

Antwerp Pride therefor call for all Antwerpian to come out (as in, going outside) and hold hands with some one of the same gender (identity). Same-sex couples, this is your time. 

But also straight people are encouraged to make a statement. Show your best friend, pal, mate or buddy some affection and hold his hand. Or ask your drag queen, gender bending, non-conforming friend for an outing (again, as in going outside), holding hands. 

“We call on all people in Antwerp regardless of your gender- and sexual-identity to take a stand! On Sunday August 13th we ask you all to walk our streets hand-in-hand with someone of the same gender-identity or with someone who doesn’t dress gender conforming”, Antwerp Pride says.

“If everyone walks hand-in-hand, then we turn the whole city into a brave space and show the world this is nothing unusual, when or wherever this may happen. Because walking is always better with someone at your side!”

It’s okay!

Doing so, Antwerp Pride wants to show it’s okay to show affection, being it romantic of amicable, to same-sex friends, partners, lovers, mates, buddies, pals, besties, … 

Where? The entirety of Antwerp.
When? The whole day. 

Antwerp Pride 2023 & Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2023

• ANTWERP PRIDE 2023 | Eurovision’s Gustaph to perform at Closing Festival on Sunday 13 August.
• ANTWERP PRIDE 2023 | Opening Night concert & party at OLT Rivierenhof.
• 4-27 AUGUST | Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2023 programme and schedule.
• 2023 Antwerp Pride Parade route includes Kloosterstraat and a hello to czar Peter the Great.
• Antwerp Pride 2023 Festival at Cockerillkaai.
• ANTWERP PRIDE 9-13 AUGUST 2023 ‘BRAVEOLUTION’ | Make Antwerp a brave and safe.
• ANTWERP PRIDE 2023 | ‘Braveolution’ to Brave Space Antwerp.
• Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2023 seeks contributors.
• ANTWERP PRIDE | Geert Van Praet succeeds retiring chairperson Bart Abeel.
• PHOTOS | Antwerp Pride 2023 from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 August.

Darklands 2023-2024

• Darklands 2024 from 27 February to 4 March.
• ANTWERP | Darklands 2024 going into ‘The Void’ under new, stricter city rules.
• “Darklands: The Hotel was an idea of A-Stay”.
• DARKLANDS 2023 | Programme and schedule.
• DARKLANDS 2023 | A-Stay to become official Darklands: The Hotel.
• Darklands 2023 from Tuesday 7 to Tuesday 14 March in Antwerp.
• Darklands 2023 to and from Deep Space.

Queer Antwerp

• Antwerp Pride, Jeffrey’s, Marie Antoinette, Armand Everaert win 2023 Touristico Gaylive Awards.
• ANTWERP | LGBTQIA+ bookshop Kartonnen Dozen stops.
• Rainbow zebra crossings of Antwerp.
• Rainbow zebra crossing in Borgerhout.
• Rainbow zebra crossing in Berchem.
• City chronicle ‘De kleur van de stad maakt mijn ziel amoureus’ recounts Queer Antwerp history.
• ‘Masculinities: Liberation through Photography’ exhibition at FOMU, Antwerp’s photography museum.
• Antwerp’s LGBTQI+ bookshop Kartonnen Dozen wins Çavaria Media Award.
• PHOTOS | Rainbows lit Antwerp.
• Flemish LGBTQI+ press support rainbow community in Ukraine.
• ALLEMAAL ANTWERPENAAR | Antwerp launches campaign to motivate citizens to stand up against discrimination and intimidation.
• Borgerhout flies intersex inclusive Rainbow Progress Pride Flag for IDAHOT.