The COC pleads in the Volkskrant for a new role for the Netherlands. The country must lead again in fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.

The Netherlands was once groundbreaking. We had equal marriage rights first. But other countries have surpassed us, says the COC. While progress stalls here, many countries advance faster.

The COC sees concrete tasks. Workplace discrimination still happens. Transgender people face bureaucratic problems. Violence against LGBTQ+ people remains an issue too.

The organisation asks the government for more attention. Not only new laws, but enforcing existing rules too. And helping victims of violence and discrimination.

The Netherlands can lead again, thinks the COC. But policy must be taken seriously. Currently, it is not.