Gay monuments in queer times: Amsterdam’s Homomonument and the politics of inclusive social practice

Abstract

Despite growing debate about the role of monuments in diverse societies, there has been insufficient attention to contestations that have emerged involving ‘gay’ or ‘queer’ monuments. This article examines the politics of inclusion and exclusion that can stem from the social practices that evolve around these monuments, particularly as the imperatives and priorities of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) activism evolve while monuments, created in a particular historical and geographical context, are in some sense ‘set in stone’. Drawing on an intensive, mixed-methods case study of the Homomonument in Amsterdam, the article develops a grounded critique of processes of inclusion and exclusion specifically in relation to Black, bisexual and transgender people. With a focus on dance parties organised at the Homomonument, the article calls for more research that analyses monuments as sites of practice.

Inclusive LGBTQ+ fieldwork: Advancing spaces of belonging and safety

“…For example, our own collaborative research activities (e.g., Greatrick et al, 2022; Zebracki et al, 2021) and those considered by diverse LGBTQ+‐identified contributors to our dedicated Pride in the Field blog series in Geography Directions (see Zebracki & Greatrick, 2021b) display how LGBTQ+ people themselves are naturally experts at navigating the field. They develop practices and ways of being in the field that offer some hope to an otherwise rather gloomy picture.…”