Press about us: LGBT World Beside to win an Appeltje van Oranje

From May 19 to May 28, LGBT World Beside participated in the online public voting for the second stage of the Appeltje van Oranje competition. We received incredible support from our community and the media — thank you all so much! We proudly landed in 40th place among 50 contestants — a strong result for a small, volunteer-run organization like ours.

As we now prepare for the final stage of the competition, Pitch Day on June 14, let’s take a look at the press coverage of our participation!

Studio040, the news platform for the municipality of Eindhoven, shared the news about our nomination for the Appeltjes van Oranje award. Read the full text here.

The LGBT World Beside Foundation from Son is in the running for an Appeltje van Oranje. This is a national award for individuals or organizations that promote social cohesion in the Netherlands. The foundation supports refugees who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

De Mooi Son en Breugel, a local newspaper from our home municipality, reported on our participation in the competition on both online and in print. And the Mayor Suzanne Otters-Bruijnen supported us through her social media!

Gaykrant, one of the major online queer media outlets, featured news about us on their homepage.

Imagine this: you fled your home country because you had to hide who you are, only to find yourself just as isolated as a refugee in the country where you sought safety. LGBT World Beside Foundation works in the Netherlands to support LGBTQ+ refugees from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. For this important work, LGBT World Beside has been nominated for the prestigious Appeltje van Oranje 2025 award!

Also the gay magazine Winq made an announcement about us.

The national Algemeen Dagblad and the regional Eindhovens Dagblad and De Gelderlander posted the news on their website and highlighted the social and political relevance of our work.

According to co-founder Harlem van Hayzer, the nomination is a recognition of their hard work. He emphasizes the importance of social activities, language support, and networking for this vulnerable group.

Our friends from COC Eindhoven spread the word about the public voting on their homepage and social media.

LGBT World Beside offers a safe haven, practical support, and the comfort of shared experiences within a warm community of fellow LGBTQ+ individuals. With your vote, you give them hope, break their isolation, and help build an inclusive future.

In addition to that, so many organizations, community groups and people shared the infomation about our participation. We would like to thank everyone for your trust and support. Our work, and this nomination, would not be possible without you.