The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam was always a beacon of decorum. High on the walls the names of all the classic composers, whose music has been conducted in the past hundred years that the Concertgebouw existed.

Where classic music loving Amsterdam, the cultural and economic elite of the city would meet to feel slightly superior in this egalitarian country. Now it was the center of homosexual men that dominated the stage, jeans, t-shirts and leather dominated. Handkerchieves betrayed sexual preferences.

A middle-aged woman sang on stage, in a long flowing dress and cotton candy hair, she sang a self-written song in Dutch. The song was addressed to Anita, an orange queen from Florida, who as a newly reborn Christian had gone on a crusade against homosexuals.

As gays would recruit children and young man to join their perverted lifestyle as she put it in an interview. He thought to himself that he had known at age eleven he was gay, no recruiting needed.

He now tried to focus on the singer and her lyrics, when the meaning of the words sank in, he got chills. She was such an unlikely advocate for the gay cause, mainstream popular, she was famous for songs with no significant meaning. But here she sang about gay man to stand up against homophobia and encouraging gay lifestyle. It was the world upside down. He felt emotional.

The concert had been organized in Amsterdam to raise money so they could advertise in the American newspapers their support to the gay community in Florida. They had felt it was important to show solidarity with our gay brothers and sisters on the other side of the Atlantic. You are not standing alone.

The concerts proceeds proved to be enough to advertise and the remaining amount was the starter for what in 1987 would become the homo monument. The first in the world for gay victims, past, present and future.