Dutch House of Representatives to fly rainbow flag after roll-call vote
On Sunday 11 October 2026, Coming Out Day, the rainbow flag will fly at the building of the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) for the first time. The House decided this on the evening of Thursday 8 October in a roll-call vote: 90 members voted in favour, 36 against. The decision was preceded by several days of discussion, in which an earlier decision by the Presidium was withdrawn and then put to the House after all by means of a motion.
From an administrative proposal to a withdrawn decision
According to RTL Nieuws, the idea came from the administrative organisation of the Tweede Kamer. The Presidium, the executive board of the House on which the Speaker and members of the larger parliamentary groups sit, agreed to the proposal to raise the rainbow flag on Coming Out Day. When the smaller parliamentary groups were informed of that decision, the SGP objected. The party argued that the Tweede Kamer is not only an administrative organisation but above all a parliament, and that a flag above that parliament must be based on a decision by the parliament itself. The Presidium then withdrew the decision on Wednesday 7 October.
Speaker Thom van Campen (VVD) confirmed that line to RTL Nieuws. According to him, the possibility of raising the flag had been discussed "in the context of being a good employer", but: "As is customary, a majority of the Tweede Kamer must declare itself in favour of raising a flag other than the Dutch flag above the House building." No such decision by the House existed at that time.
The Piri motion
That decision came a day later after all. Member of parliament Kati Piri (Pro) tabled a motion on 8 October, co-signed by the members Bromet, Moorman, Teunissen, Struijs and Dassen. The motion (parliamentary paper 21501-02, no. 3486) was tabled during the two-minute debate on the Foreign Affairs Council. The text is short. The House notes that it "must stand up for the rights of the worldwide LGBTI movement on International Coming Out Day", considers that for the staff of the Tweede Kamer "it is important that there is an inclusive working environment" and requests the Presidium to raise the rainbow flag above the House building this coming Sunday.
Roll-call vote late in the evening
At the insistence of the SGP, the motion was put to a roll-call vote, the NOS reports. This means that every member of parliament casts their vote individually instead of per parliamentary group. Members who had already gone home had to return to The Hague for it. The result: 90 votes in favour and 36 against. According to the NOS, most members of D66, VVD, CDA, Pro, Partij voor de Dieren, SP, ChristenUnie, 50Plus and Volt voted in favour. PVV, Forum voor Democratie, Denk and SGP voted against; the members of JA21 and the Markuszower group were absent. The sitting was closed at 11.29 p.m.
The arguments for and against
The verbatim report of the sitting, which is still uncorrected and is therefore only paraphrased here, shows that five members of parliament gave an explanation of vote. The SGP stated that the Dutch flag belongs above the parliament and that the rainbow flag is not a national flag but a symbol that is not experienced as unifying by all Dutch people. Forum voor Democratie called the flag a symbol with an ideological charge. Two BBB members voted against, arguing that government buildings should be neutral and that equal rights should not depend on the raising of a single flag.
The ChristenUnie voted in favour, but with pronounced reluctance. According to the NOS, ChristenUnie member Grinwis called the course of events "sad and farcical" and said he would nevertheless vote in favour "for the sake of the people it concerns". The movers themselves justified their request in the motion by referring to the rights of the worldwide LGBTI movement and to an inclusive working environment for House staff.
Ministries and earlier exceptions
At several ministries the rainbow flag is displayed around Coming Out Day, RTL Nieuws reports: at the ministries of Economic Affairs and Agriculture the flag was raised, and at Health and Social Affairs it hangs in the entrance hall. A different rule applies to the House building, because there a majority of the House must agree to any flag other than the Dutch one. This happened earlier for the Ukrainian flag, likewise after a motion was adopted.
Sources
- Tweede Kamer, Motie van het lid Piri c.s. over aanstaande zondag de regenboogvlag boven het Kamergebouw hijsen, parliamentary paper 21501-02, no. 3486, 8 October 2026. tweedekamer.nl
- Tweede Kamer, Hoofdelijke stemming over de motie-Piri c.s., uncorrected verbatim report, 8 October 2026. tweedekamer.nl
- NOS, Eerst wel, toen niet, nu weer wel: regenboogvlag gaat toch bij Tweede Kamer hangen, 8 October 2026. nos.nl
- RTL Nieuws, Geen regenboogvlag op Tweede Kamer na verzet van SGP, 8 October 2026. rtl.nl
Edward Jansen
Genderinfo.nl editorial team
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