Amsterdam Gay Pride is one of the largest annual events held in The Netherlands.

While a large part of the rest of the world is still debating whether gay marriage should be legalised, is still deciding whether gay couples are allowed to adopt children—or even worse, claiming that homosexuality is wrong—the Dutch are not wasting any more time.

Being gay is part of life and should be celebrated.

Amsterdam Gay Pride was organised for the first time in 1996 and by now, Gay Pride proves that Amsterdam knows how to party.

This year, the Canal Parade—the highlight of the nine-day event—took place on 1 August. The theme was “share the love, love the differences.” It involved 80 boats following a six kilometer route through the canals of Amsterdam, with tens of thousands of people watching, cheering, partying and celebrating along the route, on moored boats and on the streets throughout the city.

The participating boats were, like every year, manned by companies, associations or clubs, ranging from the Ministry of Defense and various other political entities to large multinationals and small, local businesses. Employees, managers, politicians, public figures and celebrities alike, all dress up and dance while cruising on the canals. Last year, the Moroccan and Jewish communities had their Canal Parade debut, while this year, the Parade was lead by a boat of asylum seeking refugees.

It is an event whereby one of Amsterdam’s most historical and prominent churches proudly wears the LGBT flag for the whole world to see.

There is no Gay Pride event in the world as inclusive as the one in Amsterdam.

And possibly the best selfie ever was taken during the Canal Parade 2015. Flyboarding seven to eight meters above the water, the Dutchman Bo Krook took this picture with a selfie-stick. After he posted it on Reddit/Imgur, it went viral.

In my opinion not only because it is a super cool shot, but also because it shows so well that equality equates to happiness.

One only needs to look at the photograph to understand what I mean. I can only hope that the rest of the world catches up.

Relephant:

America, it’s Time to Celebrate—Love Wins! {Video}

Author: Yaisa Nio

Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Author’s Own; Imgur/Rikay