The Delftse Werkgroep Homoseksualiteit (DWH) is an independent organization in the Delfland region that provides a meeting place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members of the community.
Founded in the 1960s, their goal is to educate the public and increase the acceptance of homosexuality in society.
Although it is not directly affiliated directly with TU Delft, Outsite was created as a branch of DWH to reach out to youth in the Delft community, including TU Delft students. Outsite, which has been active for about 15 years, specifically caters to people 28 years and younger.
According to Bram van Meurs, DWH chairman of external affairs, the municipality of Delft has been participating in a program set up by the Dutch government to make communities more gay friendly. Van Meurs, who is studying applied physics at TU Delft, said the city wrote a plan on how they felt things could be improved and received funding for their ideas. As a result, the municipality asked DWH/Outsite to help create awareness and support systems for the international community at the university.
Of the roughly 230 DWH members, a little more than half are 28 years or under and most of those members are students. Regular social activities at the Outsite city centre location are geared towards the younger crowd and include Wednesday film nights, Thursday drink nights and a quarterly party called Outnight.
In addition to these activities, DWH/Outsite is also actively involved in high school education and awareness programmes. They have a team of representatives who visit local high schools and give talks about their experiences. By sharing personal stories they hope to help teens who might be unsure about their own identities. Through this they strive to break down stereotypes about homosexuality and build respect for sexual diversity in young people.
The group emphasizes that everyone is welcome and everyone can be themselves. Van Meurs noted that they are working to be more accessible to the international community. “We’re busy translating our website to English,” he said. “And we do have international members who can share experiences with new people who are interested.”
Several times a year, Outsite organizes an eight week programme for people who might be struggling with their sexuality or who want to make new friends. It provides a safe place for people to share their coming out stories and to get to know each other. There is a new group starting on September 25 and there is no cost to participate.
For more information on DWH and Outsite visit their website.
This is part of our ongoing series Meet The Society which highlights different student groups and societies at TU Delft. If you’d like to suggest an organisation for us to cover, please email us at deltainternational@tudelft.nl.
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