Gay Dutch prime minister & Zohran Mamdani visit LGBTQ+ archive — and hear from young New Yorkers it serves

Rob Jetten, the gay prime minister of the Netherlands, met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday afternoon for a visit to a historic LGBTQ+ archive and community center in Manhattan. The Advocate was invited to tag along.Jetten, the nation’s youngest and first out gay prime minister, is currently visiting New York for the United Nations General Assembly. He has also made visiting LGBTQ+ cultural institutions a visible part of his trip. Earlier this week, Jetten stopped by the Stonewall Inn, which is widely regarded as the birthplace of the gay rights movement.Mamdani’s office reached out to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center about meeting with Jetten on the center's campus, its leadership team told The Advocate.Related: Dutch prime minister goes viral (again) for kissing his hockey star fiancé at match New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani greets the leadership team at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Jack Walker/The Advocate The two met briefly outside the center, then went to a library inside. There, Jetten and Mamdani sat down to learn about the center’s archive of historic LGBTQ+ materials and meet young people involved in the center’s programming.Jetten praised the archive’s work and likened it to efforts to document LGBTQ+ history in museum exhibitions in Holland. “It’s all about celebrating the diversity for the community, but also explaining to all the visitors that so much work still has to be done all around the globe,” he said.Youth participants shared examples of artwork and zines they made at the center, which were entered into its archive for long-term keeping. They widely agreed that resources from the center, shared with other young LGBTQ+ people, have positively impacted their lives.Related: Who is Rob Jetten: Meet The Netherlands' new gay Prime Minister Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten, who is gay, visits the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Cente