29 testimonies and portraits of elderly LGBTQIA+ people who openly embraced their sexual orientation at a time when doing so was more complicated than it is today.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of civil marriage for all and World Pride Amsterdam 2026, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France is presenting the exhibition “Rose Antique” during Pride Month in Paris. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to authorize civil marriage for same-sex couples. Celebrating this important milestone goes beyond marriage itself; it is about human dignity, freedom, and universal human rights. This exhibition portrays the testimonies of 29 elderly LGBTQIA+ people who had the courage to open up by sharing their portrait and personal story. The Netherlands promotes equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people worldwide by working with other countries within the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), including France. In this context, the Ville de Paris, which is strongly committed to these issues, is taking part in this collective effort for equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people, in partnership with its international partners. With “Rose Antique,” Dutch photographer and artist Ernst Coppejans looks back at the experience of the first generation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual people who dared to publicly embrace their identity in the Netherlands. This generation made queer emancipation possible and gave today’s LGBTQIA+ community a freedom that is far from guaranteed and must be actively maintained. Ernst Coppejans portrays the personal stories, inspiring and sometimes shocking, but above all beautiful and intimate, of these LGBTQIA+ seniors from both the Netherlands and elsewhere. These personal portraits and stories will fuel conversations between older and younger generations. In collaboration with the Fondation Open Mind, they have been gathered and shaped into a traveling multimedia exhibition, a magazine, a podcast, and a “Rose Antique” program.
Source: paris.fr — photo: Photo de Jill © Ernst Coppejans