BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:23533@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:Amsterdam’s Hidden Queer Stories DTSTAMP:20260606T193434Z DTSTART:20260703T170000Z DTEND:20260703T200000Z DESCRIPTION:Celebrate World Pride 2026 with a storytelling event that explo res the deep\nroots of Amsterdam’s queer community. Amsterdam is known as the home to the\nworld’s first legal gay marriage. But that monumental eve nt didn’t just happen.\nIt took a whole community across decades working t heir way into a full place in\nDutch society.\n\nIn this unique event\, ac ademics who study the diaries\, memoirs and other\negodocuments of LGBTQIA + “Amsterdammers” team up with experienced storytellers.\nThe result is an entertaining night of hidden stories. These relatively unknown\npeople wh o contributed to Amsterdam’s vibrant queer history have stories to be\ncel ebrated. The academics ensure the stories are accurate and full of vibrant \ndetails. The storytellers ensure the stories are engaging for a wider au dience.\nTogether\, they offer the perfect way to celebrate World Pride in Amsterdam.\n\nWe will hear an early story of a trans person who migrated for gender-confirming\nsurgery. Their memoir and the storytelling performa nce based on it shows the\nevolution of trans experience\, as well as its universality. We will also listen\nto a contemporary story of a queer pers on who is born in the Netherlands with a\nnon‐Western background. It highl ights a journey in navigating obstacles such as\nstereotypes\, non‐accepti ng environments\, and the absence of role models to\nrelate to.\n\nThese a re just a few of the engaging and inspiring stories on this unique night.\ nCome join us to find out more!\n\n\nPROGRAMME\n\n * 19:00-19:30 Doors ope n\n * 19:30-20:30 First round of performances\n * 20:30-20:50 Drinks\n * 2 0:50-21:30 Second round of performances\n * 21:30-22:00 Drinks\n\n\nSPEAKE RS\n\nElyzabeth Gorman is the passionate founder and sole researcher behin d Badass\nTours\, dedicated to uncovering and sharing Amsterdam’s hidden h istories.\nElyzabeth has performed at renowned venues like the Amsterdam M useum\, Van Gogh\nMuseum\, and Jewish Museum and has been a regular storyt eller at Mezrab House of\nStories.\n\nAs a toddler in India\, Bipin Upadhy ay was introduced to the nitty-gritty of\ncommunication through stories wi th allegories\, metaphors\, and tropes. Now that\nhe is all grown up and w hat not\, he struggles to have a simple conversation\nwithout delving into long\, self-indulgent stories. Thankfully\, he has friends\nwho invite hi m to cook up stories and perform them to unsuspecting audiences.\n\nGuus M øystad is a visual artist\, writer and storyteller based in Amsterdam. He\ nis a chaotic hodgepodge of identities that never settle for long and find s his\ninspiration in history\, subcultures\, and folklore.\n\nIrina Koria zova is an Amsterdam-based storyteller. She has a dry sense of humor\nand loves to turn things upside down: victims become protagonists\, and\nterri fying monsters turn into creatures worthy of love. Her work is sometimes\n described as raw and unsanitised — like dirt under the fingernails\, it cl ings\nand lingers. Irina regularly performs and hosts at Mezrab\, as well as other\nstorytelling venues and festivals across the Netherlands.\n\nJos eph Kearney is a storyteller and film producer from Ireland who is a regul ar\nhost and contributor at Mezrab House of Storytelling. As an out and pr oud queer\nman\, he works in the LGBTQ+ space\, including running a storyt elling event at\nTheater Bellevue called Brave Space.\n\nRissa Ellis is fr om Cincinnati\, Ohio\, USA. As a current Master's student in\nEuropean Stu dies: Identity and Integration at the University of Amsterdam and a\ntour guide\, she is passionate about sharing the untold stories of those who\nh elped build a better society for all.\n\nMert Anaç is a Bachelor's student in European Studies and student assistant at\nthe Humanities Faculty’s Di versity Office of the UvA. Born in the Netherlands to\nTurkish migrant par ents\, Mert focuses on contemporary stories of non‐Western\nqueer people b orn in the Netherlands.\n\nMarleen Rensen is associate professor of Modern European Literature at UvA. She\nspecialises in literature and life writi ng\, with a specific focus issues of\nidentity and belonging. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/amsterdams-hidden-queer-stories GEO:52.3690637;4.894763 LOCATION:VOX-POP - Binnengasthuisstraat 9\, 1012 ZA Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,burgwallen,community,festivals,film,gender,per formance,pride,queer,stories,storytelling,theater X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Celebrate World Pride 2026 with a storytelling event that explores the deep roots of Amsterdam’s queer community. Amster dam is known as the home to the world’s first legal gay marriage. But that monumental event didn’t just happen. It took a whole community across dec ades working their way into a full place in Dutch society.

In thi s unique event, academics who study the diaries, memoirs and other egodocu ments of LGBTQIA+ “Amsterdammers” team up with experienced storytellers. T he result is an entertaining night of hidden stories. These relatively unk nown people who contributed to Amsterdam’s vibrant queer history have stor ies to be celebrated. The academics ensure the stories are accurate and fu ll of vibrant details. The storytellers ensure the stories are engaging fo r a wider audience. Together, they offer the perfect way to celebrate Worl d Pride in Amsterdam.

We will hear an early story of a trans person who migrated for gender-confirming surgery. Their memoir and the storytel ling performance based on it shows the evolution of trans experience, as w ell as its universality. We will also listen to a contemporary story of a queer person who is born in the Netherlands with a non‐Western background. It highlights a journey in navigating obstacles such as stereotypes, non‐ accepting environments, and the absence of role models to relate to.

< p>These are just a few of the engaging and inspiring stories on this uniqu e night. Come join us to find out more!

Programme

Speakers

Elyzabeth Gorman is the passionate founder and sole research er behind Badass Tours, dedicated to uncovering and sharing Amsterdam’s hi dden histories. Elyzabeth has performed at renowned venues like the Amster dam Museum, Van Gogh Museum, and Jewish Museum and has been a regular stor yteller at Mezrab House of Stories.

As a toddler in India, Bipin Upadhyay was introduced to the nitty-gritty of communicatio n through stories with allegories, metaphors, and tropes. Now that he is a ll grown up and what not, he struggles to have a simple conversation witho ut delving into long, self-indulgent stories. Thankfully, he has friends w ho invite him to cook up stories and perform them to unsuspecting audience s.

Guus Møystad is a visual artist, writer and sto ryteller based in Amsterdam. He is a chaotic hodgepodge of identities that never settle for long and finds his inspiration in history, subcultures, and folklore.

Irina Koriazova is an Amsterdam-base d storyteller. She has a dry sense of humor and loves to turn things upsid e down: victims become protagonists, and terrifying monsters turn into cre atures worthy of love. Her work is sometimes described as raw and unsaniti sed — like dirt under the fingernails, it clings and lingers. Irina regula rly performs and hosts at Mezrab, as well as other storytelling venues and festivals across the Netherlands.

Joseph Kearney is a storyteller and film producer from Ireland who is a regular host and contributor at Mezrab House of Storytelling. As an out and proud queer man , he works in the LGBTQ+ space, including running a storytelling event at Theater Bellevue called Brave Space.

Rissa Ellis i s from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. As a current Master's student in European St udies: Identity and Integration at the University of Amsterdam and a tour guide, she is passionate about sharing the untold stories of those who hel ped build a better society for all.

Mert Anaç is a Bachelor's student in European Studies and student assistant at the Human ities Faculty’s Diversity Office of the UvA. Born in the Netherlands to Tu rkish migrant parents, Mert focuses on contemporary stories of non‐Western queer people born in the Netherlands.

Marleen Rensen is associate professor of Modern European Literature at UvA. She speci alises in literature and life writing, with a specific focus issues of ide ntity and belonging.

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