Straight Men Are Suddenly Holding Hands For A Beautiful Reason
Scores of men are responding to an alleged attack on a gay couple in the Netherlands... by holding hands.
Jasper Vernes-Sewratan and his husband, Ronnie Sewratan-Vernes, were reportedly attacked early Sunday by a group of six to eight teenage boys, RTL Nieuws reports. The men said they were returning to their Arnhem home hand-in-hand from a party at the time of the attack.
The incident sent shockwaves through the Netherlands’s LGBTQ community, and was reportedly condemned by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. But two of the country’s other lawmakers went a step further, showing solidarity for the couple by holding hands as they arrived at a government meeting Monday.
Alexander Pechtold, who is the leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, arrived hand in hand with his party’s financial specialist, Wouter Koolmees, in support of Vernes-Sewratan and Sewratan-Vernes. “We think it is quite normal in the Netherlands to express who you are,” Pechtold said, according to People.
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This is a story usually relegated to the GLBT group, but I felt it was a story about solidarity which deserved to be recognized for its inclusiveness. This type of overt support, especially such support which actually calls for contact, is not too common among straight men. However, I feel straight men are starting to come around and a display like this actually makes me feel a bit hopeful.
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