by Natazzz - Contributing Writer

When looking for lesbian or queer content on the internet, we tend to have a focus that is much too international. At least I know that I do. I spend so much time on websites with international content, whether it is British, European or American, that I sometimes forget there is something out there in my own language too.

One of the major Dutch lesbian websites is that of Femfusion. Femfusion is an organization that not only provides the “largest Dutch community website for women who like women”, but also organizes activities and projects that bring about a positive contribution to the image of lesbians and how they live their lives.

Their website that used to be called Femzz (someone correct me if I’m wrong) is a pretty fun place to hang out. It offers lesbian news, culture, events, as well as practical information, and an online shop full of everything a lesbian needs, including lesbian movies, books, music and even sex toys. Yes ladies, we are after all talking about a Dutch website.

More importantly, it also includes many interactive features including a forum, a chat room and a nifty little search function to scroll through the thousands of profiles to find the woman of your dreams. I even have a profile on there myself, so look me up if you like.

A few years ago, Femfusion used to have their site in collaboration with Zij aan Zij the most important and only Dutch lesbian magazine who have recently relaunched their own website. On there you can find the content of most of their magazines, as well as information about upcoming events, photos of previous events, queer TV tips and personal ads.

I used to think Zij aan Zij was just for old and boring lesbians, until I woke up one morning and realised I now belonged to their over 30 demographic. Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday when I was spending most of my online time at Expreszo, the Dutch website for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth.

Expreszo is a great community for anyone who is young and queer. They target anyone between 14 and 27, but my experience used to be that the main visitors were in their twenties, while the magazine and the information they provided was only fun for high school kids. Perhaps this has changed in the last few years, anyone who’s frequented the site recently, please let me know.

They offer lots of fun information about being queer as well as lots of more serious and important information. You can find anything from entertainment news to dating tips, to save sex guides to advice on how to come out. They also have a forum and a place for personal ads. If you are young and looking to make new friends or even find a girlfriend, I highly recommend checking out this site. It once did great things for my social life.

You might get the impression that Dutch lesbian websites are only about fun entertainment and dating. Do not worry, there is plenty of serious and boring stuff too. For example, on the site of Lesbian Archives Nijmegen you can browse their whole collection of anything and everything that is lesbian. This includes books, videos, newspaper clippings, photos, and diaries. They even let you borrow some of their books and videos.

More information about lesbian books you can find at La Vita, who publish books written by and/or about lesbians and also provide some more general queer information. Another great website is Lesbisch lezen (Lesbian reading) that attempts to provide an overview of all Dutch books that include lesbian themes, characters or storylines.

Finally, if you are just looking for some information about being gay or bisexual, about what it means or who can help you with what, check out these great sites: Lesbisch.nl, the site by Schorer, the Dutch organization for homosexuality, health and wellbeing or the website of the COC. 

The Netherlands might only be a small country, but because it is known for being so liberal and gay friendly, the small number of Dutch websites I could find that are devoted to queer women is a little disappointing. If there are other Dutch lesbian websites that I have overlooked, please let me know in the comments.

[Editor's Note: Check out the new link list in the menu and mail us the missing websites of your country.]