Even though the Pride PH Festival 2024 at Quezon Memorial Circle was rained on yesterday, that didn't stop anyone from spreading the event's most important message. In a photo posted on Pride PH's Instagram account, Vice Ganda was seen wearing the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress.
LOOK: Vice Ganda Wears the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress
Shot by photographer duo Cenon at Mav, the It's Showtime host was positioned in front of the Quezon Memorial Circle monument with her hand held high in a powerful gesture, and had the skirt of the dress flowing majestically beneath her.
"The dress is a work of art in the shape of a dress, comprised of flags of countries where being LGBTQIA+ is punishable by law, including eight countries in which homosexual acts can result in the death penalty," according to the caption. Originally, the Amsterdam city flag is used as the bodice, but for this particular photo Vice donned a Cheetah Rivera gold terno she wore earlier this year to represent the Philippines.
The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress was displayed at the Pride event as part of their exhibition.
What's the Story Behind the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress?
The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress is a living work of art. The project started in 2016 by Mattijs van Bergen, Arnout van Krimpen, Jochem Kaan, and Oeri van Woezik to raise awareness and discussion around the issue of illegal homosexuality, where in some cases is even punishable by death penalty. The 52-foot dress is made up of 68 flags of countries where there are laws against being LGBTQIA+. Once a country adopts LGBTQIA+-inclusive legislation, the flag is replaced with a rainbow flag. Currently, from the original 77 national flags they started with, there are nine rainbow flags to represent this change.
According to the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress website, Amsterdam has been a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community for centuries, offering those displaced from their original countries a place to express their true selves without persecution. To ensure the Dutch city maintains this status, the dress travels around the world in the hopes of inspiring other countries to advocate for more inclusive policies.
Currently, Quezon City joins the ranks of Amsterdam, Madrid, San Francisco, Athens, Seoul, Antwerp, Johannesburg, Brussels and other cities that have participated in this global project.
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