Ode to Bet van Beeren | Fighter for her community

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Bet van Beeren, a woman raised in de Jordaan neighbourhood of Amsterdam, worked mainly for the emancipation of homosexuals in Amsterdam during her lifetime. She owned a café on the Zeedijk called ‘t Mandje. This café still exists today and remains a safe place for homosexuals in Amsterdam. Throughout her life, Van Beeren was very open about her sexuality and also did not shy away from being seen with other women. She could regularly be seen with another woman on the back of her motorbike. 

Van Beeren was a smart businesswoman and certainly did not earn badly with her café either. She liked to spend her money on charity, mainly on causes that helped the Zeedijk, the site of her café. For instance, she got pimps to take elderly people to the beach for a day so they were less lonely, or arranged roller skates for the neighbourhood children. She also made sure everyone in the street donated a coin to the Salvation Army when they visited.

In light and in hard times, Van Beeren continued to fight for her community. During World War II, Van Beeren was also in the resistance. She hid weapons and distributed food stamps to people who needed them. 

It is important that Van Beeren receives an ode because of her selfless commitment to her fellow man. She valued preserving her own freedom and character more than attention for her actions. During her lifetime, she had two chances to win a ribbon but missed out because of who she was. In her time, it was difficult for people to come out for a sexual orientation that was outside the norm, simply also because it was not allowed by law, so there was a strict policy against any physical affection in ‘t Mandje too. Since Van Beeren's time, Amsterdam has developed a lot and it is important not to forget the people who contributed to that development.