On Friday afternoon, Mayor Femke Halsema presented royal decorations to dozens of Amsterdammers at the Concertgebouw. Among the recipients was Ruud Douma, who received his honour in the name he is best known by: Dolly Bellefleur.
Royal honours
The decorations are part of a beloved Dutch annual tradition called the Lintjesregen — literally "ribbon rain." Each year, just before King's Day on April 27, mayors across the Netherlands present royal honours on behalf of the King to citizens who have made what the government formally calls "a particularly meritorious contribution to society." The colloquial name comes from the ribbon and medal that accompany each decoration. It is a nationwide moment: on the same morning, in every Dutch city, thousands of people are called in under the pretence of some other occasion, only to be surprised with the news that they are being honoured by the King. The most commonly awarded honour is the Order of Orange-Nassau, which has five ranks. Knight — the rank Douma received — is the entry level, but it remains a meaningful national distinction.
Dolly Bellefleur
Ruud Douma has performed as Dolly Bellefleur for decades. Dolly is a glamorous, sharp-tongued drag character, but the work behind the sequins is serious. Douma came of age during a time when being openly gay in the Netherlands carried real social risk, and he has dedicated much of his career to making that path easier for those who came after him. He is a fixture at Roze Zaterdag — the annual Dutch national pride celebration, held each year in a different city — and at the Amsterdam Homomonument, a triangular memorial in pink granite that commemorates LGBTQ+ people who were persecuted throughout history. He performs for secondary school students, appears at inclusive Christmas church services, and consistently shows up wherever visibility and acceptance are needed, doing so with humour rather than hectoring.The City of Amsterdam noted that Douma has "inspired countless young people to be themselves" and that his contribution to public debate is "steeped in humor, empathy, and intelligence."
This is not his first recognition. He previously received the Bob Angelo Medal from COC Nederland — the world's oldest LGBTQ+ rights organisation, founded in Amsterdam in 1946 — which awards the medal as its highest honour, named after the organisation's founder. He also holds the Andreaspenning, Amsterdam's highest civic distinction, named after the city's patron saint and presented to him by the late Mayor Eberhard van der Laan. The appointment as Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau is the newest addition to that list, and the first to come from the national level.
