Reinterpretation/Recontextualization & Monument of Upliftment Frameworks. Explore definitions here.
Introduction
The Homomonument is located at Westermarkt square within the Jordaan district of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The monument, established in 1987, is considered to be the first public memorial in the world to honor people who have been persecuted because of their sexual orientation. In an inventory published in 2018, the Homomonument was one of only 46 queer monuments (including plaques, markers such as stones, memorials, statues, parks, and benches) identified globally (Orangias et al. 2018). The Homomonument has played a significant role in the representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the urban built environment and commemorative heritage landscape since its inception.
Section 1: Historical Background
1.1. Creation of the Monument
Since 1946, the Netherlands has observed Remembrance Day (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5) during the first week of May. Remembrance Day is held to commemorate the Dutch who died during World War II (WWII), and Liberation Day celebrates the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation in 1945. The Remembrance Day commemoration was extended in 1961 to include Dutch victims of violent conflict outside of WWII. Since 1947, a National Monument has stood in Amsterdam’s Dam Square to honor the Dutch who were persecuted during the Second World War.
The creation of the Homomonument was inspired by dissatisfaction on behalf of gay and lesbian activist groups with national commemoration ceremonies and monuments that did not acknowledge the persecution of homosexuals during WWII. In 1979, Bob van Schijndel, a member of Amsterdam’s Pacific Socialist Party, called for a monument to the gay people persecuted during the Second World War. The Homomonument Foundation was established later that year. The Foundation’s monumental goal received support in Amsterdam, and “[the Homomonument’s] right of existence was sanctioned by the local city council that allocated the central city square Westermarkt for the monument” (Zebracki et al. 2023, 301). Funding for the monument was raised through donors and contributions from local authorities such as the Dutch Parliament and the City of Amsterdam.
A 1980 competition resulted in the selection of artist Karin Daan’s design for the Homomonument. The monument is made of three pink granite triangles each at a different level in relation to the street that together form one large triangle. Daan describes each of the three triangles as symbolizing the past, present, and future. The triangle located at the street level points toward the nearby Anne Frank House, representing the past. It is inscribed with a line by gay Jewish poet Jacob Israël de Haan. The triangle that reaches into the canal and steps down from the street level points toward the National Monument in Dam Square and represents the present. Lastly, the triangle raised from street level points to where the former headquarters of the leading Dutch LGBTQ+ right group, the Cultuur en Ontspannings Centrum (COC), was located. At the time Daan’s design was implemented the COC was the “action centre of the gay movement” (Homomonument n.d.).
The pink triangles incorporated in the design of the Homomonument refer to the pink inverted triangles that homosexuals were required to wear on their clothing in Nazi Germany. Based on this identification, gay people, and most frequently, gay men, were arrested, prosecuted, and sent to police prisons or concentration camps (Holocaust Memorial Day Trust n.d., Dawsey 2020). Alongside the gay liberation movement of the 1970s, the pink triangle was “reclaimed” by the LGBTQ+ community as an “international symbol for gender and sexual minority rights” (Orangias et al. 2018, 715). The pink triangle continues to be used today as a symbol for LGBTQ+ rights and liberation. Architect and urban planner Victor Delaqua (2022) notes that,
…by integrating this image [of the pink triangle] into the design of the space, Daan translated representation into the built environment, raising political and social agendas that reach all of the LGBTQIA+ community… Located in a central region, it demonstrates all the articulation with other important points of the city and history, bringing visibility to queer issues that were veiled in the public space.
The Homomonument was unveiled on September 5, 1987. It has been described by many, including the artist Karin Daan, as a living monument: “an open space through which life passes” (Homomonument n.d.). The monument was designed to be a relatively flat, open space rather than an elevated statue so that activity could occur in and around the monument. Throughout time, the raised triangle platform has been used to address crowds and the steps leading down to the canal-level triangle have been a seat for reflection. The three triangles are “connected by granite lines cutting through the streets and pavement, making the monument a part of the city’s very fabric and identity” (Van Dijk 2022, 178).
Section 2: The Homomonument Today
2.1. An Open Space Through Which Life Passes
The Homomonument is located in the historical center of Amsterdam in a space that sees a steady flow of traffic, partly due to its proximity to the Anne Frank House. The Homomonument has been a space for commemoration, celebration, and grassroots organizing since its inception.
A ceremony to commemorate the LGBTQ+ victims of discrimination and oppression has been held at the Homomonument since May 4th (Remembrance Day), 1988. In addition, a memorial service in observance of the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, established in 1999, is also held at the monument each November. Celebrations occur at the space regularly on King’s Day, Liberation Day, and during Amsterdam’s Pride week.
The Homomonument also serves as a gathering place to protest acts of violence and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community that take place around the world. For example, community members gathered at the Homomonument to protest the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people and injured 53. The Pulse nightclub was one of Orlando’s best-known gay clubs.
As time passes, and violence against the LGBTQ+ community takes on different forms, the Homomonument remains a place to gather in commemoration and protest. It is also a place to experience fun and joy through the celebration of community. Here, life involves anger and joy, resistance and celebration, grief and hope – all held at the same time.
The Homomonument was declared a municipal monument in 2017, which protects the site from future alteration according to the applicable regulations. The City of Amsterdam has consistently demonstrated support for the Homomonument including funding an 800,000 euro renovation in 2003 (Homomonument n.d.). According to Delaqua (2022),
The [municipal monument] status demonstrates the fundamental importance that a representative space can have when built in the city, bringing a place of memory, awareness, and symbolic importance to the LGBTQIA+ community along with possibilities for a future of greater equity and less prejudice.
Section 3: Framework – Reinterpretation/Recontextualization & Monument of Upliftment
3.1. Reinterpretation/Recontextualization
Though the core structure of the Homomonument has not been altered, engagement with the monument over time has altered its meaning. Thus, the monument’s status in the Monument Toolkit framework is reinterpretation/recontextualization, defined as: “the act of transforming the significance of the monument. The original monument may or may not be located in its original location.”
The use and meaning of the Homomonument has changed since its unveiling in 1987. The monument was originally designed to commemorate homosexual men and women who were oppressed and persecuted for their sexual identity. Today, commemoration at the monument honors all LGBTQIA+ victims of discrimination and oppression (Homomonument n.d.).
A reflection of this change can be seen in the Homomonument Foundation’s mission statement which was adjusted “to communicate the message that the Homomonument should serve as inspiration source for the entire LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersexual) community” (Zebracki et al. 2023, 307). At the time of writing, the Homomonument official website utilizes the LGBTQIA+ acronym to describe its community. The monument has expanded beyond commemoration of homosexual men and women to embrace the now widely recognized spectrum of gender and sexual identities. As the movement for gender and sexual minority rights has evolved, so has the mission of the monument.
The Homomonument was designed to witness life passing. Thus it has seen speeches, tears, dancing, moments of silence, rainbows, and wreaths. The people who interact with the monument shape its meaning. It will continue to be reinterpreted and recontextualized over time as members of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond bring new life to the Homomonument.
3.2. Monument of Upliftment
The Monuments Toolkit team defines a monument of upliftment as: “a monument erected by a marginalized community to foreground forgotten stories. These narratives have been suppressed politically or violently and tend to involve powerful individuals and groups.”
The Homomonument was originally called for by Bob van Schijndel due to the lack of acknowledgment of the persecution of homosexual people in commemoration ceremonies honoring those who died during the Second World War. Others before him had identified this gap and taken action, such as two members of the Amsterdam Homosexual Youth Action Group who were arrested for attempting to lay a lavender wreath at the National Monument in Amsterdam’s Dam Square. Amsterdam’s gay and lesbian communities sought the establishment of the Homomonument to call attention to the story they perceived to be forgotten in the larger narrative of WWII commemoration. The Homomonument is considered to be the first monument honoring people who have been persecuted because of their sexual orientation in the world.
Almost 40 years later, the Homomonument continues to serve as an active monument of upliftment by calling for the recognition of past and present LGBTQ+ victims of discrimination and oppression. It also holds a physical space for gathering, celebrating, and being in community. The Homomonument facilitates the practice of resistance in many forms.
The Homomonument, as described by Artist Karin Daan:
I think the best part is that the monument integrates itself into the place like an embroidery, and from above it is clearly visible how the triangle is intertwined with the urban and social space, that, for example, when taxi drivers stand in the middle of the monument, they are hardly aware of it. I think that is the most beautiful component of the Homomonument: we are there, proud and strong as granite, the monument binds us together here and now, but we are just as intertwined with the city and society in a larger time and space (Delaqua 2022).
Conclusion
The Homomonument is a space carved into the streets of Amsterdam that ensures LGBTQ+ lives are commemorated, celebrated, and represented. Monuments to LGBTQ+ history are severely underrepresented in the heritage landscape. Queer history exists within the fabric of all communities, though it is not often given monumental status. The Homomonument continues to stand as a space for recognizing the power of LGBTQ+ lives and stories.
References
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