Amsterdam Pride ️‍: Amsterdam, A Queer History and Lezz is More

Join us for the double book presentation of Amsterdam, a Queer History and Lezz is More, both by Monique Doppert.
About this Event

Please join us in ABC Amsterdam for a double book presentation! Monique Doppert will present her books and . She will be joined by both Henk de Vries, who will talk about his Amsterdam city tours highlighting 400 years of gay history, and by Richard Keldoulis, a.k.a. Jennifer Hopelezz, the subject of Lezz is More (but Richard will be the one interviewed!). A trailer for the documentary Paris is Burning will also be shown.
About the books:
Amsterdam, a Queer History
Amsterdam has a worldwide reputation as a symbol of tolerance and freedom. In the nineties, Amsterdam was even known as the Gay Capital of the World, but that reputation was not earned without a struggle.
Amsterdam, a Queer History tells the story of homosexual men and women in the Dutch capital, from clandestine homosexual practices in bars and backstreets at the start of the twentieth century, through the initial stages of gay emancipation, to the flourishing and provocative subculture of the seventies onwards and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2001. Monique Doppert puts all these developments in a clear historical context, focusing on areas where Amsterdam’s rainbow community is most visible: culture, activism, emancipation, the hospitality industry, and the nightlife scene. This lets her show how the city and its queer community have molded and remolded each other over time.
Lezz is More: A Biography of Queer Art & Activism
Since 1990, Richard Keldoulis has grown into the role of Jennifer Hopelezz, shaping Amsterdam’s queer scene with glitter and activism. In Lezz Is More, Monique Doppert reveals how Richard wields drag not just as spectacle, but as a sophisticated political instrument.
As the architect of three thriving Amsterdam businesses, he pivoted after his 'Night Mayor' defeat to turn the stage into a bridge between discrimination, hate, violence, and the queer community. In a city that claims tolerance, Richard proves survival demands action.
This innovative 'book-a-zine' blends biography with visual power, showing how the raw force of drag - its theater, humor and an unapologetic attitude - can silence a room faster than policy ever could.

About the speakers:
Monique Doppert is and author and former journalist. With a decade of experience in coordinating digital media initiatives for the international organization Hivos, she blends geopolitical insight with historical research. A former journalist for major national outlets, she specializes in uncovering marginalized narratives, from digital resistance in Syria to the roots of queer identity. Doppert’s work transforms data into human stories, proving that history is written not just by the powerful, but by those who dare to speak their truth.
Henk de Vries founded the weekly LGBT History Tour in 2016. The project grew out of the books he read as a young teenager — already aware he was gay, yet still in the closet — searching for reflections of himself and a sense of belonging.
The LGBTQ+ community is unique in that most of its members do not grow up within their own community. As a result, many LGBTQ+ people come of age without established role models, shared traditions, or a clear awareness of their collective history. Through the LGBT History Tour and his storytelling of queer history and topics, Henk seeks to give that history back to the community. His work frames storytelling as a form of activism: offering a different narrative, one that asks essential questions: What is our shared history? And what do we have in common?
Richard Keldoulis (Sydney, 1963) is a catering entrepreneur and gay activist, who has lived in the Netherlands since 1990. He co-owns gay discotheque Club Church and sauna NZ in Amsterdam. As drag queen Keldoulis is known as Jennifer Hopelezz.