Netherlands’ first gay prime minister visits Stonewall Inn in New York
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has visited New York’s historic Stonewall Inn during his first year as the Netherlands’ first openly gay PM.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has visited New York's Stonewall Inn, bringing together two significant chapters in LGBTQ+ history during his trip to the United States.
Jetten became the Netherlands' first openly gay prime minister earlier this year. On Monday, September 21, he visited the Greenwich Village bar whose name became internationally associated with the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement following the Stonewall uprising in 1969.
The Dutch leader toured the historic site and met Stonewall Inn co-owner Kurt Kelly while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. He also stopped for a beer during the visit as he reflected on the importance of preserving places connected with LGBTQ+ history.
The visit has additional significance for the Netherlands because 2026 marks 25 years since the country became the first in the world to open civil marriage to same-sex couples.
Jetten has already featured prominently in LGBTQ+ events during his first year as prime minister. Last month he opened the WorldPride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam, where political and community figures gathered to discuss LGBTQ+ rights around the world.
His Stonewall visit provided a more personal connection between that work and the history behind Pride itself, taking the Netherlands' first openly gay prime minister to a location recognised around the world for its place in LGBTQ+ history.
