Oldebroek will not fly rainbow flag on Coming-Out Day
The council withdrew its LGBTQ+ policy, prompting residents to organise a flag campaign themselves.
This year, the municipality of Oldebroek will not fly a rainbow flag at the town hall on Coming-Out Day. On 1 October, the municipal council also decided to withdraw the existing LGBTQ+ policy plan; residents are now putting up flags themselves.
The decision was taken by Oldebroek’s municipal council. According to a report by the local initiative group Oldebroek Vooruit, the LGBTQ+ action plan was withdrawn, and the arrangement to fly a rainbow flag at the town hall on Coming-Out Day was also scrapped. The measure applies from this year.
The flag had flown at the town hall since 2021. The municipality’s earlier plan was drawn up after talks with LGBTQ+ residents, schools, churches and civil-society organisations. In that plan, the flag was described as a recognisable symbol of visibility and the possibility of expressing one’s own identity without discrimination.
Oldebroek’s new coalition had already announced in its governing agreement that the policy would be reversed. The council vote made that decision final. The initiative group says the municipality is thereby not only removing a flag, but also ending structural attention to the position of LGBTQ+ residents.
In response, Oldebroek Vooruit is distributing free rainbow flags to residents. The flags are to be put up on Saturday 10 October, one day before Coming-Out Day. According to the initiative group, dozens of requests had already been received by Wednesday. The action is not a municipal decision, but a private campaign.
The flag will therefore return in other places. Local media report that a ceremony will be held at the Kruiskerk in Wezep on Saturday, at which a rainbow flag will be raised. Mayor Tanja Haseloop-Amsing is said to be attending. This does not alter the decision concerning the town hall, but shows that the discussion is moving from the municipal building into the local community.
Supporters of scrapping the policy see a town hall as a place that should represent all residents equally and consider a flag for one group unnecessary. Opponents point out that symbolic recognition has meaning precisely for a minority that does not always feel safe or visible. The council’s legal authority is not in dispute; the debate is mainly about the social significance of municipal symbols and policy.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The municipal council withdrew the LGBTQ+ action plan.
- The council decided no longer to fly the rainbow flag at the town hall.
- Residents are organising a flag campaign themselves in response.
- A private ceremony at the Kruiskerk is scheduled.
Left
Arguments A municipality also has an exemplary and protective role. Scrapping policy and visible recognition can be experienced as a step backwards by a minority that particularly benefits from institutional support.
Values Equality, inclusion and active protection against discrimination.
Consequences The concern is that LGBTQ+ residents will feel less recognised and that local services and information will receive less attention.
Centre
Arguments The council may reassess municipal symbols and policy, but should do so with the residents concerned and with clear information about what changes in practice. A private flag campaign can coexist with municipal neutrality.
Values Carefulness, local government and room for different convictions.
Consequences The compromise could be for the municipality to avoid fixed symbolism while maintaining efforts to combat discrimination and dialogue.
Right
Arguments A town hall should represent all residents and not highlight the identity of one group. According to this approach, the government should be restrained in its use of symbolic policy and focus on equal treatment for everyone.
Values Neutrality, individual freedom and limiting government interference.
Consequences The expectation is that the municipality will be less polarising, although others may interpret the decision as exclusion.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts can be found in local municipal and independent local sources. The announced ceremony and flag campaign are described as plans by local organisations, not as municipal policy.
- confirmed Oldebroek’s municipal council withdrew the LGBTQ+ policy on 1 October 2026. — Described by Oldebroek Vooruit in its report on the council meeting. source
- confirmed The rainbow flag will no longer be flown at the town hall on Coming-Out Day. — The same local source links this decision to the 1 October vote. source
- confirmed Residents are organising their own flag campaign on 10 October. — The campaign and application period are listed on the campaign page. source
- confirmed A ceremony will be held at the Kruiskerk in Wezep. — Reported by local media; this is a private ceremony outside the town hall. source
Editor's note
The council decision and the private counter-campaign can be checked through local sources. A separate official municipal news confirmation of the 1 October decision was not accessible.Sources
- 1 oktober: de raad trok het beleid in — Oldebroek Vooruit
- Regenboogvlag wordt zaterdag alsnog gehesen in Oldebroek — VRMG
- Plan van aanpak voor het verbeteren van de sociale veiligheid — Gemeente Oldebroek
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „oldebroek regenboogvlag”
- Het Parool — „oldebroek regenboogvlag”
- Trouw — „oldebroek regenboogvlag”