Coos Huijsen, first openly gay MP, dies aged 87

Coos Huijsen, a former Dutch MP who described himself as the world’s first openly gay member of parliament, has died aged 87, NOS reports. His family announced his death in a press release, saying he died at home after a short illness with his husband, Lank Bos, by his side.

What happened

According to NOS, Huijsen’s family confirmed his death in a press release. Both Huijsen and his family described him as the first openly homosexual parliamentarian anywhere in the world, and that claim has followed him through most of his public life.

His political career began in 1972, when he entered the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch House of Representatives, for the Christelijk-Historische Unie (CHU). The CHU was a Protestant party and one of several that later merged to form the CDA, the Christian Democratic party that still exists today. Six months after taking his seat, Huijsen left the CHU. NOS reports that he disagreed with the party’s decision not to back the cabinet led by Den Uyl.

The defining moment came in 1976. That year Huijsen returned to parliament as an independent, taking the seat left vacant by CH MP Willem Scholten. On that occasion he came out as gay. His partner, Lank Bos, whom he had met in 1973, attended his swearing-in. NOS notes that rumours about his sexuality had circulated earlier, but at that time Huijsen had denied them.

His second spell in the Tweede Kamer was short. He left in 1977, and after that year’s elections he joined the PvdA, the Dutch Labour Party. He never sat in the House for the PvdA.

Teaching ran through his life both before and after politics. NOS reports that before entering parliament he was a primary school teacher and a history teacher in Delft and The Hague. After leaving the Kamer he went back to the classroom, teaching history at the Gerrit van der Veen College in Amsterdam-Zuid. He was also the school’s director from 1986 to 1998.

Huijsen also wrote widely. He contributed to newspapers and magazines on socialism and democracy, and in the 1980s and 1990s he published books including Nog is links niet verloren (“The left is not lost yet”) in 1982 and Socialisme als opdracht (“Socialism as a mission”) in 1986.

Later in life he became known as an expert on the House of Orange, the Dutch royal family. In 2012 he earned a doctorate from the University of Amsterdam with a thesis titled Nederland en het verhaal van Oranje (“The Netherlands and the story of Orange”). In that book and in other works he wrote about what the Orange family means to Dutch society. The book was nominated for the Libris Geschiedenis Prijs, a Dutch history book prize.

He stayed active in gay rights work too. In 2007 he co-founded Het Blauwe Fonds, a foundation working for gay emancipation. In 2016 he published his memoir, Homo politicus. A new version came out this year under the title Roze Draad. Strijd, succes en stilstand in vijftig jaar homo-emancipatie, which translates as “Pink thread: struggle, success and stagnation in fifty years of gay emancipation”.

Why it matters if you live in Netherlands

This is not a story about a new law or policy, and nothing changes in daily life for residents as a result. It does matter if you want to understand the country you live in, because Huijsen’s career covers a large part of the modern history of gay rights in Dutch politics.

If you are new to Dutch politics, his career also shows how much the party system has changed. The CHU he first represented no longer exists in that form, having been folded into the CDA. His move from a Christian party to sitting as an independent and then joining Labour shows how far one politician could travel across the spectrum.

For parents and people in education, the school detail is worth knowing. Huijsen spent many years at the Gerrit van der Veen College in Amsterdam-Zuid, first as a history teacher and then as director from 1986 to 1998.

If you want to understand the Dutch monarchy, his writing is one way in. His doctoral thesis on the Orange family, and the other books he wrote on the subject, look at the role of the royal family in Dutch society. Reading them requires Dutch, as the titles NOS cites are all Dutch-language works.

For anyone interested in the history of LGBTQ+ rights in the Netherlands, his memoir and this year’s updated edition, Roze Draad, give a first-hand account covering fifty years of gay emancipation. The subtitle’s mention of “stagnation” suggests he did not see that progress as finished.

What to watch next

The NOS report does not include details of a funeral or memorial. Any arrangements are likely to come from Huijsen’s family, who announced his death.

Expect tributes from Dutch political parties and LGBTQ+ organisations in the coming days. Het Blauwe Fonds, the foundation he co-founded in 2007, is one organisation likely to mark his death. Roze Draad, published only this year, will probably also draw fresh attention as readers look back on his work.

Source: NOS Politiek