COC Leiden in brief
COC Leiden is the Leiden organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the region of Leiden. Our aim is to provide a place where LGBTs can meet each other and to provide community services. We also actively come up for the rights of LGBTs in our working area and elsewhere.
Keywords
General
- One of 23 independent local COC organisations, united in the federation COC Netherlands
- More than 200 members, more than 100 volunteers
- Located in a monumental building in the old town of Leiden
Entertainment
- Weekly bar & disco nights for all
- Monthly special-interest events: Sunday Times (for women), Holebi-40+-café (40+), Hivcafé (HIV+)
Community services and local visibility
- Guest lectures at secondary schools and other organisations
- Coming-out peer support groups
- Political lobby
- International relations group
- Homevisits to the elderly
- Establishment of a shared-living project for 50+ LGBTs
Location
COC Leiden is located in a building from 1817, an old warehouse belonging to a gin distillery. On the ground floor, you'll find a bar and a dancing area. The upstairs bar is more cosy: less dancing, but a place to sit, talk and have fun. Our building is located in the centre of Leiden, at 10 minutes walking distance from the train station of Leiden Centraal.
Entertainment
We're well known in the region for our weekly disco nights on Saturday. Every week, people from Leiden and beyond come to have a drink and enjoy the music in a surprisingly open atmosphere. But you can also drop in on a Friday night for a drink in the upstairs bar.
On Sundays, you can drop in for one of our regular special-interest events:
- Sunday Times (for women, every last Sunday of each month, 16-21 hrs.)
- Holebi-40+-café (for 40+ LGBTs, every second Sunday of each month, 16-19 hrs.)
- Sunday Café (all remaining Sundays, 16-21 hrs.)
On every third Thursday of each month we host a Hivcafé, for those who are HIV+ and do not always feel at ease at one of our other events.
Community services
An important service we offer to the local LGBT community are the peer support groups for men and women who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation. In 8 to 10 weeks a number of issues are discussed, such as falling in love, who and when to tell other people, going out, etc.
But we also work together with local health authorities to make sure that our community stays healthy, is aware of the risks that come with the joy of sex, and where to go in case of sex-related health problems.
The care for the older generation of LGBTs is become more and more important. Some people live alone and might feel lonely, others may live in a home for the elderly and not feel understood by the other people in that home. Home vistis help to cheer these people up. We are also actively working on establishing a shared-living project for LGBTs of 50 and over: each entitled to their own privacy, but still with the joy of sharing some facilities with like-minded people.
Local visibility
One of the most essential tasks of our organisation are the guest lectures at secondary schools and other organisations delivered by our volunteers. The guest lectures at school use a method developed in Leiden and focuses on diversity, discrimination and ‘being different’.
In addition, we maintain contacts with political parties represented in the city council and the local governement, as well as with the police, for example on the awareness of discrimination based on sexual grounds.
International
Our International Relations group is in close contact with organisations and individuals in other countries, particularly those in which gay emancipation and gay rights are less well accepted compared with the present day situation in the Netherlands. Exchange of experiences in different countries is of mutual benefit and widens people’s views of societal, cultural and political issues in the gay and lesbian arena. COC Leiden’s special interests are with our twin cities in Poland, South Africa and Nicaragua.
