SHOW YOUR TRUE COLOR!!!

Sunday the 25th of January was the annual Bob Foster Foundation Event “True Colors” in Paradiso Amsterdam. This event is for the LGBT community and fighting for the human rights for our community. It is all about diversity and still being all the same person: a human being. From gays to transgenders, from dragqueens to bears , from lesbians to twinks, from diva’s to leather lads, everybody was presented and tried to raise money for the Bob Foster Foundation. Their Bob’s Angels were selling colored balls, which you could buy for 5 Euro each. All those balls got collected in a big bowl on stage.

The evening got presented by Dutch hunky and out news anchor Rik Van De Westelaken. Every act (presenters and singers) got translated on stage by translaters for the hearing impaired LGBT folks, which made this event approachable for everybody. Paradiso has a main area and a smaller area where also a DJ was entertaining the crowd. Many bars to get your drinks (because we love our alcoholic beverages), an eating area because the event started at 4 PM till 2 AM and your stomach has to be filled to adjust to your drinks LOL.

The event got pumped up by the first act of dancers with Moulin Rouge, Vogue and break dancing. After that followed a speech by COC Netherlands president Tanja Ineke. She gave also an award to Judith Schuyf ( activist for Emancipation of LGBT people) and TV series SPANGAS, which showed a lot of LGBT characters on the show for already 8 years.

Also a beautiful “In Memoriam 2015” of all the LGBT people or Allies that we have lost all over the world in 2014. The Voice candidate Sjors van der Panne sang a beautiful song and behind him on a big screen we saw who we have lost year from activists, research people till pro-gay icon Joan Rivers. Another speech came from the minister of welfare Jett Bussemaker, who donated 40.000 Euro on behalf of the government for the foundation and her slogan is: “Gay Rights Have No Borders”. She wants to make LGBT issues a topic on schools and ethnic groups.

After that the Frank Sanders Musical Academy performed the song “TRUE COLOURS” of RENT, which always gives me goosebumps. This didn’t took long, because a big group of dragqueens came on stage to promote another big event coming up soon called: “Draghouse Show Down” presented by Diva May Day at the 21st of February 2015 in Paradiso. Several Draghouses from Holland are going to compete against each other like on Rupaul’s Drag Race. What better way to show this all on Rupaul’s latest song: Sissy That Walk!!!

May Day started with Mc Miss Bunty a DJ set with big balloons flying through the dance area, pumped up beats, dancing dragqueens on high heels and giving us time to eat something and to enjoy the evening. After that the roof came down with Dutch Gay Icon and Straight Ally singer Ruth Jacott. She set the room on fire with her personality, big smile, great voice and strength. She brought some of her own Dutch songs, but also classics from Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Beyoncé. What a Power Woman she is, I really love her from the start she got famous here with her song “Vrede” (Peace in English) at the Eurovision Songcontest. People wanted more and more of her and she loved to perform for us.

A great evening with a variety of acts and the Foundation will be happy with all these 250 support groups all over the Netherlands like Gay & Night, OutTv, Gay Sails, Gay Fantasy, that came to join together for a better and safer LGBT Community. Pink In Our Lives was glad and honored to be there. If you wanna donate, lend your hand or want to join a meeting to meet allies and find acceptation, then go to www.bobangelo.nl