Schiedam | Pride Month | May 12 – May 26
From 12 to 26 May 2025, the heart of Schiedam became a powerful stage for global awareness and human rights. The Zero Flags Project installation was displayed along the Schieboulevard (Overschiesestraat), where dozens of national flags flew—not in celebration, but in mourning. Each flag bore a black ribbon to mark the countries where homosexuality and/or gender diversity is still criminalised.
At the time, 63 countries enforced laws that punished LGBTQ+ individuals simply for who they are. These penalties ranged from imprisonment and corporal punishment to, in eleven nations, the death penalty. Every year, hundreds of trans people were murdered with impunity.
Roughly one-third of the world’s population—more than two billion people—lived under such regimes. Assuming a conservative estimate of 8% of any population identifying as non-heterosexual, this meant tens of millions of people lived in daily fear.
A Call to Conscience
The Zero Flags Project confronted this reality in a stark and unavoidable way. By giving visible form to invisible suffering, the installation demanded attention—and action. Its mission: to reduce the number of “flags of shame” to zero.
Part of Schiedam Rainbow Month
The Schiedam edition of the Zero Flags Project was part of Schiedam Rainbow Month, a city-wide celebration of diversity and inclusion, organised by local LGBTIQ+ initiatives. Throughout May, Schiedam hosted a colourful programme of events, conversations, and cultural celebrations.
A highlight of the month was the 10th edition of the Jillis Bruggeman Awards, held at Theater aan de Schie on 24 May—a moment to honour those who contribute to acceptance and equality.
Film & Conversation at Wenneker Cinema – 18 May
As part of the programme, Wenneker Cinema hosted a special screening and talk on Sunday 18 May. Filmmaker Dzul Sungit, originally from Singapore, spoke about growing up in a country where homosexuality had long been criminalised. His film Salam Gembira, partly shot in Schiedam, explored themes of joy and resistance in the face of repression.
The Singapore flag, once part of the Zero Flags installation, had been removed in 2023 following the decriminalisation of homosexuality—a reminder that change is possible.
Before the screening, Hans Verhoeven, chair of the Zero Flags Project Foundation, introduced the project and its global mission.
