Dear Mayor Hillenaar,

We are writing to you on behalf of PRIDE Maastricht, a collective of individuals, students, artists, entrepreneurs, and organizations based in this city who believe in a Maastricht that is safe, welcoming, and vibrant for all. Many of us are part of the LGBTQIA+ community ourselves, many of us are allies.

Maastricht is a city known for its diversity and forward-thinking spirit. It’s a place where people from across the globe come to live, study, build businesses, and grow. It’s also a place where, unfortunately, LGBTQIA+ people still face marginalization, exclusion, and invisibility in daily life. That is why we respectfully request that the LGBTQIA+ Progress Pride Flag be raised at Maastricht City Hall (Stadhuis) for the entire month of June 2025, especially on the week of the PRIDE Maastricht protest and celebration, Saturday, 28 June 2025.

This would be the first time in Maastricht’s history that the Pride flag is officially raised by the municipality for Pride month. That makes this moment not only historic—but urgent. In a time when LGBTQIA+ rights are increasingly under pressure across Europe and beyond, this public gesture of solidarity and recognition has never mattered more.

We are students, artists, migrants, business owners, and community leaders who help make this city dynamic and innovative.  We are queer-owned and queer-led spaces that drive social change, stimulate the local economy, and add cultural vibrancy to Maastricht.

Raising the Pride flag would be more than symbolic. It would recognize this community’s contributions and offer much-needed visibility. It would affirm Maastricht’s values: openness, inclusion, and pride in its diverse population.

We also invite the city to go a step further and become an active member of the Rainbow Cities Network, a coalition of municipalities committed to actively promoting the rights and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ residents. Maastricht has the potential to lead—not just symbolically, but structurally—in creating a city where all people can thrive regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, or country of origin.

PRIDE Maastricht was born in 2020 out of the urgent need to create space for queer voices that were marginalized, even within mainstream LGBTQIA+ circles. We build on the energy of grassroots movements and community mutual aid. Today, we continue that work through protest, celebration, art, and collaboration.

We are launching this letter as a public petition, where residents, allies, and organizations can sign to show broad support. We believe that together, we can demonstrate how deeply this city cares about equity, safety, and visibility for all its residents.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet and further discuss how the municipality can work together with us—and many other signatories—to make Pride Month 2025 a moment of joy, courage, and lasting change.

With respect and hope,
On behalf of PRIDE Maastricht
And the undersigned organizations and individuals.

click here for the Dutch version of this letter
klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie van deze brief

List of signatories can be found here