Getting married 24 times sure sounds excessive. But the truth is that Fleur and Julian hope that it’s only the tip of the iceberg. If they could have their way they’d get married 195 times – once in each country in the world.
Project 22 – Getting married in 24 countries. We had the pleasure of welcoming Fleur and Julian on board of the Rederij Paping boat.
Unfortunately, as things stand, that’s not possible. Not because of some financial restraint (though admittedly that might be a problem) but because as two women most countries won’t let them marry. They recently said,
“Not many people are aware of the fact that there are so few countries where same-sex marriage is legalized. We figured that marriage and love ― something that everyone can relate to ― is a perfect starting point to raise awareness.”
That’s why they started 22 the project – so named because when they got started there were only 22 countries where they could get married. On September 20th they got married in the US. Now they’re in in the Netherlands to do the same and over the next year they’re going to go to the remaining 22 others.
Isn’t that just brilliant? We sure thought so. That’s why we invited them to come for a tour on our boat, so we could show our appreciation. Because even though we’ve had many proposals and celebrations over the years, we though what they’re doing deserves special attention. In that way we could do our little bit to help them with their project and to raise awareness.
To show what’s possible
Besides, we were just dying to hear what they had to say! It turns out, it was quite a lot. Most important of all, however, was what they were hoping to do. “We are trying to give a positive spin on things. A lot of people in our community are unhappy about how we can’t marry – but if you complain about it most people aren’t going to listen.” And so they embraced this project to show what is possible instead of what isn’t.
“It’s enriching and necessary to show these perspectives in a positive and beautiful manner because I believe this is the only way by which you can make change.”They told the Huffington post.
Romantic moment under the Skinny Bridge. This the place where newlyweds go for wedding luck.
We can certainly get behind that! The best change, after all, doesn’t come from a place of anger, but from one of love. We’ve always believed that and we love it (no pun intended) that these ladies believe it too.
It’s also great what they’re looking to do. For project 22 isn’t just about creating awareness. It’s also a piece of performance art, with them hosting photos on their site called 22theproject.com. They’re planning to work together with local artists in the countries they visit as well and make them part of what they’re doing. And when the trip is all done, they’re planning to put up an installation based on the videos and photos they’ve taken.
Around the world in 24 weddings (maybe more)
But that’s still a long way away. First there is the year-long journey. To finance their trip they sold everything – even their shoes! All they’ve got left is two suitcases. And even then, they admit, they don’t have enough money to do the whole thing. Still, they’re not too worried. They hope to attract sponsors to their beautiful cause. “We were already approached by a drinks company, but both of us don’t drink we decided not to go with that option.”
No doubt, there will be more. After all, this is the best kind of artivism (or activism through art) there is. Besides, they’re already creating plenty of attention. There are a ton of stories in newspapers and they’ve even been on TV. They’ve been featured both on RTL Late Night and Chasing News in America.
They said Yes!
Julian and Fleur happily married in Amsterdam.
No doubt, that, as their journey continues that attention will only grow. In the meantime, we want to add our voice to the chorus of encouragements and say it was an absolute pleasure to have these two ladies onboard. We wish them all the best and smooth sailing ahead.
Good luck Fleur and Julian! We hope you’ll have a hundred weddings more.
Museum “het Schip” in Amsterdam School Architecture
Half way down the Bloemgracht at number 87-91 there is the House with a Thousand Windows.
Have you been in Amsterdam before? Or you don’t want to stand in line for the bigger museums like Van Gogh or Rijks?
received 2016 
Well according to the Amsterdam people you can! 1 out of 3 ‘Amsterdammers’ swim in the Amsterdam open water. And 1 out of 20 swim in the canals. Because the houseboats are now all connected to the sewage system and the water get’s cleaned often, the water quality now is better than it has ever been.