Netherlands: Dutch military marches in gay parade
On August 6 soldiers serving with the Dutch Armed Forces joined in Amsterdam’s Gay Pride parade for the first time. Sponsored by the Dutch Defence Ministry, gay and lesbian service men and women sailed proudly through the canals of Amsterdam as apart of the week long gay pride festival.
Openly gay men have been allowed to serve in Dutch units since 1974 and are represented among the top brass by the Foundation for Homosexuals in the Armed Forces.
It is estimated that six to eight percent of the Dutch military are gay or lesbian.
