Somber start to LGBT's Roze Maandag in Tilburg

Today's 'Roze Maandag" (Pink Monday) LGBT-tolerance celebrations in Tilburg will be different than usual, according to mayor Peter Noordanus. The mayor tells Omroep Brabant that the day will be "somber and modest" with respect to the tragedy of the MH17 crash in Ukraine.  "I have not considered canceling, but it will be a different Roze Maandag than otherwise", mayor Noordanus of Tilburg predicts. Organizer Naud van de Wijngaart also tells the paper that the festival will start on a sad note, remembering the victims of the crash. On Twitter, Van de Wijngaart admits that he has never thought so long about an opening speech. Roze Maandag is one of The Netherlands' biggest gay events. It takes place at a fun fair, and is meant to call attention to LGBT issues and rights. Everyone is welcome, so long as they come in pink, "to celebrate acceptance and tolerance." In an effort to do just this, the festival organizers have made improvements to their app, which allows party-goers to find shortcuts to the fair grounds. Hundreds of thousands of people go to Roze Maandag every year, and this year promises to host no fewer spectators. The app developers have also added an 'InstaGay' feature to the app. This feature allows users to add a fitting pink tint to their photographs, and share them on social media. Users can also share their photos inside the app itself. These photos are then added onto an 'InstaGay' map. https://twitter.com/gayokayNL/status/491139579475685376

Vrolijke roze stoet trekt door het centrum van Tilburg. Het is Roze Maandag! #ob pic.twitter.com/XNXjN7QZVj

— Twan Spierts (@TwanSpierts) July 21, 2014