Just different, that's all

Abstract

Reports appear with some regularity in the Dutch media about violence perpetrated against gay men. At the same time, the Netherlands is renowned as a very gay-tolerant country. The vast majority of the Dutch population believe that homosexuals should be free to live their lives as they wish. On the other hand, the idea of two men or two women kissing in the street still meets with a good deal of resistance. Dutch government policy is aimed at raising the acceptance of homosexuality in the Netherlands. At the request of the government, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP carried out a study to provide an overview of the current situation. How do the Dutch public feel about homosexuality today? What trends are taking place in this regard? What problems are there? Based on a survey of the general public and of gays and bisexuals of both sexes, both adults and youngsters, SCP provides a detailed answer to these questions. This publication is a journalistic summary of the report Increasingly normal, never the norm. Acceptance of homosexuality in the Netherlands (Steeds gewoner, nooit gewoon. Acceptatie van homoseksualiteit in Nederland).