Despite the fact that many LGBT people will think that not much happens with their report against discrimination, according to director of Meldpunt Discriminatie Regio Amsterdam Karin Schadee, the opposite is true. 'We can often help people personally. And all reports are always included in the figures. Also the cases where discrimination cannot be established, that then becomes a suspicion of discrimination.'
According to Schadee, it is important that anyone from the LGBT community who feels discriminated against report it, in order to get a complete picture of the problem in the city. They then share the numbers back with the municipality, which can develop programs and policies to combat discrimination.
Mystery Guests and willingness to report
Social Affairs Councilman Rutger Groot Wassink does not want to get lost in numbers. 'I am not saying that in three years the problem must have decreased by so much percent, because we simply know too little about it for that.' However, he too wants people to report discrimination earlier. He therefore announces a specific campaign.
'If more people let us know where, when and by whom they have been discriminated against, we can map it better. Then we can make better agreements with these companies, cab companies or other sectors.' The alderman also indicates that he does feel something for the wider rollout of the mystery guests project. In the hospitality industry we already work with this tool in the fight against discrimination, if it is up to me we will do the same in other sectors.
Starting to find it normal
Damagee of the Hotline suggests that it may be the case that LGBT people experience discrimination as "normal. 'I remember a meeting of LHTBI people at Stadsdeel Zuid about safety in the neighborhood. They gave the district the grade nine, but at the same time they said that they could not walk the streets hand in hand with their partners. 'You can't do that there,' they were told. They actually thought that was normal, and that is very undesirable.'