Amsterdam Rainbow Dress shown off on Harvey Milk Day in San Francisco
The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress, designed to draw attention to the persecution of LGBTQ community members globally, was presented in San Francisco this week by an Amsterdam delegation to honor California's Harvey Milk Day. The dress features 75 national flags of countries where homosexuality is included in the national Criminal Code.
The bodice of the dress is designed after Amsterdam’s civic crest, symbolizing the city’s openness to LGBTQ refugees. The dress was created by fashion designer Mattijs van Bergen and spatial designer Oeri van Woezik. It was previously exhibited at a similar visit to New York before being presented at San Francisco’s Pride Photo Award show in city hall.
“This dress is a source of inspiration in which people of all cultures are encouraged to take a stand against discrimination and intolerance,” said Simone Kukenheim, the Amsterdam alderman leading the Amsterdam Diversity Delegation. They will visit San Francisco through Thursday, with the theme of "inclusion" taking precedence over the trip.
In California, May 22 is meant to honor the politician and gay rights activist who was killed in 1978 by Dan White. Milk was America's first openly gay elected official.
