RozeLinks is the sexual and gender diversity network of the Dutch party GroenLinks (= the Green Left). Just as GroenLinks works with the PvdA (the Dutch labour party), RozeLinks works with the PvdA Roze Netwerk. Everyone in these networks works is a volunteer.

Membership of either party is not necessary to participate in RozeLinks, but you must share our vision: promoting a society in which everyone, with respect for others, can freely enjoy his or her sexuality and where relationships people have are recognized by the State and other organizations. In which the State acknowledges the gender identity and physical expressions people want for themselves, and guarantees protection against discrimination on any ground.

Within RozeLinks we have a core group with the most active members - we regularly discuss actions and activities. With the help of Signal, social media and email newsletters, we keep others within RozeLinks informed and involved. Sometimes special tasks (organising an event, or document analysis) are temporarily carried out by individual activists or smaller working groups.

Want to join?

Do you want to participate in RozeLinks? Although we cannot guarantee that we can use English at every meeting, we try to maintain inclusivity, also linguistically. Contact us by email rozelinks@groenlinks.nl or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or BlueSkye.

The Netherlands is changing

A few decades ago, the Netherlands was known for its sexual and gender freedoms.  Did you know that the first 'gay demonstration' of the last century did not take place in the United States, but in the Netherlands? The Netherlands was the first country to open marriage to same-sex couples. Within the European Union, the Netherlands has successfully added a criterion for entry into new countries in the EU: they must at least have anti-discrimination legislation.

Today (June, 2025) the Netherlands is unfortunately lagging behind. We have lost our leading position in the field of LGBTIQA+ rights.

  • The current Dutch government has decided not to work on a legal status for multiple parenthood - for which a government-appointed committee has submitted a proposal.
  • A bill to simplify the procedure for changing the gender on the birth certificate - it would no longer be necessary to first visit a psychiatrist - has failed to gain a majority in parliament.
  • A bill that would ban so-called conversion practices (aimed at turning lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans and asexual people  into 'normal' cisgender, heterosexuals) did not receive sufficient support in parliament.
  • The government wants to change the rules for family reunification of refugees so that - under strict criteria - only their legal spouse can join them in the Netherlands, ignoring the fact that LGBT refugees come from countries where they never have the right to marry.
  • A legal mechanism to oversee hiring and selecting staff - checking for discriminatory bias - was rejected by the Dutch Senate, claiming it could 'damage business conditions'.

The position of the Netherlands in the Rainbow Index (published annually by ILGA Europe) has unfortunately fallen outside the top ten in Europe.

Worldwide changes

We were and are confronted with terrifying developments in other countries: in Poland under the previous PiS government, where LGBT-free zones were introduced, in today's Italy, where children are deprived of their legal status because they have two mothers. And in the United States, where, apart from restrictions on the right to abortion, transgender people are denied rights and teachers are not allowed to provide information about sexuality or gender in a growing number of schools.

RozeLinks wants to fight for rights not only in the Netherlands, but also in other parts of the world. We also want to share our experiences and gain inspiration from others who are concerned with sexual and gender diversity. That is why we are also a committed member of ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

So join RozeLinks! Although we cannot guarantee that we can use English at every meeting, we try to maintain inclusivity, also in language. Contact us by email rozelinks@groenlinks.nl