Queen Máxima opened the WorldPride in Amsterdam to loud cheers

Queen Máxima opened the WorldPride in Amsterdam to loud cheers. "Being who you are, loving who you want, isn't that normal? said the queen in the Vondelpark Open Air Theater.

She concluded her opening remarks with the words: "Hold each other, support each other and enjoy! WorldPride is the big, international brother of the annual Pride Amsterdam, which started on July 8.

It is the first time that the events largely coincide. With WorldPride, the celebration takes on a larger and more international format than usual. There will be more events and extra attention for the global fight for equal rights for LGBTI people.

Amsterdam expects 1 million visitors. Pride Walk Even before the opening today, around 10,000 people took part in the Pride Walk around 12 noon. It went from Dam Square to Vondelpark in a colorful procession.

The Pride Walk was mainly intended to draw attention to what the organization calls the "most vulnerable groups in the LGBTI community". This mainly concerns asylum seekers who sometimes face opposition not only in their home country but also here. "It is very important to show that we are together, that you are not alone, said Femke van Casteren, one of the organizers, at city broadcaster AT5. Demonstrations "Now that acceptance is decreasing, it is very important that we make our voices heard, said one of the participants of the Pride Walk.

"Certainly for the refugees who are already having a very hard time at the moment. Such as during those demonstrations against the asylum seekers' centers. Another participant wondered why LGBTI people always have to justify their behavior.

As a trans woman, she herself goes to the ladies' toilet, where she often receives criticism from other toilet visitors. "Why is that? Trans rights are also human rights, she stated. Young and old Amsterdam Mayor Halsema opened the WorldPride together with the Queen.