Navigating the Dutch Healthcare System: Queer & Trans Perspectives

Awareness & Critical Reflection

Jun 21, 2025

13:30

-

16:30

Queer Gym

Sliding scale starting at €5 and education events are free, if you do not have means to purchase a ticket please email us.
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Many queer and trans refugees face huge barriers in accessing safe and affirming care. At this panel talk, we’ll talk about navigating the Dutch Healthcare System as/for queer and trans refugees. The event is rooted in lived experiences and aims at creating trust, connection, and visibility. Rather than just information-sharing, this event focuses on community-building. We have invited various speakers to talk about their experiences and expertise. After the panel talk, participants can join a yoga class at the gym.

13:30 - 15:30: Panel with Alejandra Ortez, Dora Melkonyan, and Nancy Siblini on Navigating the Dutch Healthcare System: Queer & Trans Perspectives
15:50 - 16:30: Yoga Class by Queertopia
This yoga class embodies three core principles: playfulness, curiosity and agency. Integrating mediation, breathwork and a steady flow through different postures, the class aims to create a safe space that encourages participants to find pleasure in moving their bodies. There are no specific clothing requirements; wear clothing in which you feel comfortable and can move easily.
You can attend both events with one ticket, or choose to attend only one.
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Alejandra Ortiz is a published author, researcher, and community builder. A brown Mexican trans woman, she brings lived experience of marginalization, violence, sex work, and intersecting struggles. Based in the Netherlands since 2015, she centers her activism on visibility and empowerment for marginalized communities. Her collaborative work spans organizations like Transgender Netwerk Nederland, Humans of Film Festival, and Transgender Europe, alongside her own collective Papaya Kuir. She is co-author of the reports Transcript From the Margins and The Situation of Migrant Sex Workers in the Netherlands. In 2019, she co-founded T-Huis—Amsterdam’s (and the Netherlands') first dedicated safe space for trans communities. Her memoir, De waarheid zal me bevrijden (The Truth Will Set Me Free), was published by Lebowski Publishers in 2022. Recognized for her impact, she received the Winq Community Award (2023) and was named a 2024 Rising Star by Harper’s Bazaar Netherlands. As a curator, she has led Queer Currents 2023 and the Pride Photo Award 2024, and is currently part of de Appel’s 2024-2025 Curatorial Program."
Dora Melkonyan is a committed social worker and community builder based in Amsterdam. Originally from Armenia, Dora has a background in Medical Biology and Biochemistry and moved to the Netherlands in 2019. She now focuses on supporting LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers through empowerment, peer support, and advocacy. Dora currently works at Veilige Haven (Centram), is the coordinator of Transhuis, and project assistant at Prisma Group Utrecht, and is the founder of Queer and Friends — an initiative that connects queer and non-queer refugees to build inclusive communities at the AZCs. Her work is rooted in intersectionality, human rights, drug and suicide prevention, creating safer spaces for those living at the margins.
Nancy Siblini is recruitment consultant and career coach with a background in anthropology and over 15 years of experience advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in both Lebanon and the Netherlands. Born and raised in Beirut, she has been living in Amsterdam for the past seven years. As a trans woman, Nancy found empowerment and community through We Are Queer, where she discovered her love for sports in a safe and inclusive environment. She now serves as a board member at Queertopia, contributing to community-building initiatives and strategic projects that advance the organization’s mission. Nancy’s academic work reflects her deep commitment to equity and inclusion: her master’s thesis explored how trans people navigate the Dutch healthcare system, shedding light on the structural challenges and opportunities for improving access. She has also conducted research for the municipality of Amsterdam on the integration of status holders and collaborated with COC Nederland on various LGBTQ+ training and advocacy initiatives. Curious, reflective, and always ready for meaningful conversation, Nancy is dedicated to building spaces where diverse voices are heard and empowered, whether it’s in the workplace, healthcare, or broader society.
Gabriel Bos At VluchtelingenWerk Nederland, Gabriel assists lhbti status holders in their social integration. His specialty is transgender casuistry. Transgender refugees often have help questions about medical transgender care and how to have their registered first name and gender designation changed. Gabriel combines his work at Refugee Council with his commitment to the Trans Clinic and the T-House. Because of his transgender identity, Gabriel has a great affinity with the target group and his years of experience in the field allow him to help these clients well on their way with the right information. He himself used to have a lot of support from people who are transgender, people in whom he recognized himself. In turn, in his position as a social worker, he aims to be someone with whom another person feels safe and heard
Queertopia is a foundation dedicated to promoting the mental and physical health of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Within Dutch society, straight and cis/binary gender is still too often seen as the norm, causing queer people to be regularly excluded. This brings complex challenges such as violence, discrimination, and the feeling of not belonging. Queertopia exists to help people grow toward their own ideals.