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Saturday, Oct. 25, representatives of seven political parties signed COC Netherlands' Rainbow Ballot Agreement 2025. The parties promise to work for the safety, emancipation and human rights of the rainbow community in the coming cabinet period.
The agreement was signed by Frans Timmermans (GL|PvdA), Henri Bontenbal (CDA), Rob Jetten (D66), Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD), Bastiaan Meijer (SP), Ines Kostić (PvdD) and Marieke Koekkoek (Volt).
"Especially in these times of increasing hatred and discrimination, it is important that parties from left to right stand together for the rainbow community," said COC executive director Marie Ricardo.
Security and equal rights
The parties want to strengthen the crackdown on discriminatory violence with more discrimination investigators, additional police capacity against online hate, and extension of the criminality of group insult to transgender persons and women.
In addition, all parties want the transgender bill to be reintroduced. GL|PvdA, D66, SP, PvdD and Volt fully support the law; CDA and VVD pledge a "positive and constructive attitude." An X-option should also become possible in official sex registration. In addition, to protect intersex children, the parties seek a ban on unnecessary medical procedures.
Asylum, family, and education
The parties want safer reception for lhbtqia+ asylum seekers, with separate rooms and contact persons in all asylum seekers' centers. They also express support for a multi-parent law, so that families with three or four parents are better legally protected. In education, acceptance of lhbti+ persons should be the norm; so-called "identity statements" by which orthodox schools reject lhbtqia+ people should disappear.
CDA and VVD commented on some points, such as the acceptance requirement for schools, gender listing on identity cards and parts of asylum and development policy.
Fifth Rainbow Agreement
This is the fifth time that COC Netherlands has signed a national Rainbow Accord, following previous editions in 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2023. Among other things, those accords led to the hatecrime law, the ban on conversion acts, mandatory lhbtqia+ education in schools, and inclusion of lhbti+ rights in Article 1 of the Constitution.
Parties that did not sign the agreement are PVV, JA21, BBB, DENK, Forum for Democracy, SGP, Christian Union and NSC.
Photo: Geert van Tol