A new political coalition in the Bible Belt municipality of Oldebroek is moving to systematically dismantle all existing LGBTQ+ policies, starting with a ban on flying the rainbow flag at the town hall. The proposal, which the council is scheduled to vote on this week, is the first major action of a new right-wing conservative government and is being framed by its leader as a rejection of “woke culture.”
The policy shift is driven by Alderman Tom de Nooijer, the 26-year-old leader of the new local party Christelijk Verbond Oldebroek (CVO). De Nooijer, a former SGP member and a presenter for the controversial broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland, has dismissed diversity initiatives as “expressions of cultural Marxism or woke.” He argues that specific policies for the LGBTQ+ community are unnecessary because “everyone is already treated equally before the law.”
This move is part of a much broader conservative agenda laid out in the coalition agreement between CVO, the SGP, and Algemeen Belang Oldebroek. The agreement also includes:
- Halting the search for asylum reception locations and severely restricting who can be accepted.
- Scrapping “ideologically driven” climate measures and abandoning the goal of climate neutrality.
- Abolishing all diversity policies.
- Returning the municipality's official presence to X (formerly Twitter), a platform it previously left due to hate speech and disinformation.
The proposal has been met with resistance and dismay from some local residents. Marijke Stouwdam-Zoombelt has been flying a rainbow flag from her home in protest since July, but has had three flags stolen and a fourth one vandalized, with the pole broken and the fabric showing what appear to be burn marks. “I'm not one for outward displays, but this time I felt: I have to do something about this,” she told Trouw.
Local pastor Han Wilmink has also spoken out forcefully against the council's direction. He shared his experience of conducting funerals for men who took their own lives while struggling with their sexuality and knows of a lesbian couple in the community who don't dare to hold hands in public. “I have experienced so much misery with this theme that I get furious when politics turns back the clock,” he said.
The vote is scheduled just ahead of Coming Out Day on October 11, a day when the rainbow flag has traditionally been flown. The new policy in Oldebroek is being watched closely, with some right-wing commentators on social media praising the town as a “guide municipality” for a conservative shift in the Netherlands.
This article is based on reporting by Jeroen van Raalte for Trouw. You can read the full original article (in Dutch) here.
