Launch FEL

The feminist evolution has arrived in Leiden. We launched our initiative in a room full of feminists at the Old School. A taste of this inspiring evening follows below.

Chairwoman Ingeborg van der Ven kicks off the evening with a note on language - both Dutch and English - with special attention to respectful pronoun use. The first speaker of the evening is Damn, Honey author Marie Lotte Hagen who holds a impassioned argument that women should be free of ridiculous pressures on their looks, life and bodies (see this interview). The next part of the evening consists of 3 pitches by existing Leiden organisations that want to advance the emancipation agenda. These organisations are Leidse Praatjes International represented by Teratai Hiep, Stichting Vrouwennetwerk Leiden with Hanneke Winter and the LGBT+ network by Pauline Vincenten. In the last part of the evening FEL founder Rosanne gives a speech in which she compares feminism to rooting for your -occasionally succesful- local soccer team. FEL is meant to be home turf where people can gather to rest, recharge and forge new connections. Liang de Beer leads us through the official launch of FEL: she shows the plans and introduces the editorial team of the newsletter 'You've Got Feminist Mail': Anne, Fatima and Willemijn. We end the night by toasting with some bubbles and getting to know each other better!

FEL in the paper