PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Let It Be Known
In his upcoming feature film, Executive Producer Stephen Gardner tells the heart-wrenching story of Dutch duo Willem Arondeus and Frieda Belinfante, brought together by their shared homosexuality and fierce desire to save as many lives as possible in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. By Melissa-Marie Marks
EMBRACE MAGAZINE
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“WILLEM AND FRIEDA AND THEIR COHORTS ARE NOT EXPERT COMMANDOS. THEY ARE NOT TRAINED SABOTEURS. THEY ARE NOT EVEN BATTLEHARDENED SOLDIERS. THEY ARE A GROUP OF QUEER AND ALLIED ANTIRACIST ARTISTS WITH A DESIRE TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND RESTORE HUMANITY.” —STEPHEN GARDNER
FROM ARTIST TO WAR HERO Willem Arodeus was born on August 22, 1894. Due to his sexual orientation, he was forced to leave his family home at just 17. He was an artist and achieved some success as a painter, but eventually stopped
painting to pursue a career in writing poetry and articles for publications. When Germany invaded The Netherlands, Willem joined the Dutch resistance, and in 1942, he published Brandarisbrief, an illegal periodical encouraging others to resist the Germans. In 1943, the Brandarisbrief periodical merged with another resistance periodical called De Vrije Kunstenaar (The Free Artist). The editor of De Vrije Kunstenaar, Gerrit van der Veen, specialized in forging documents, and thus, Willem became involved in forging Christian documents for Jews. “I first learned about Willem when a friend of mine shared something on Facebook, saying he [Arondeus] was openly gay and had been recognized as a war hero for saving Jews during the German occupation of The Netherlands,” Gardner recounts. “I’m Jewish and I just came out two years ago. So, when I learned about Willem, it was my inspiration to come out and be proud of who I am. And that is kind of what the inspiration for [this film] was.” AN UNEXPECTED YET HARMONIOUS PARTNERSHIP Born on May 10, 1904 in Amsterdam, Jewish open lesbian Frieda Belinfante was 36 years old when the Nazis invaded The Netherlands. Coming from a musically-talented family, Frieda began playing the cello at age 10 and made her professional debut at Kleine Zaal recital hall at age 17. In 1937, Frieda founded Het Klein Orkest (The Chamber Orchestra) and held the positions of both artistic director and conductor. She was the first woman in Europe to ever hold such titles. After witnessing the capture and removal of fellow Jews, Roma-Gypsies, homosexuals, and anti-Nazi activists, Frieda decided to join the underground Dutch resistance movement and began assisting Gerrit van der Veen with his document forging operation. It was at
DONATIONS WELCOMED Donors can make a real impact in terms of helping us share this amazing story that hasn’t been told before and really speaks to the gay, Jewish, feminist, and human rights communities. freestate-justice.org/donate-2/let-it-be-known
PHOTO BY STEPHEN WHITEHEAD
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is a dark day on May 10, 1940 when Germany invades The Netherlands and takes complete control. World War II is already well underway, darkening skies across Europe and ending countless lives. Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria, queen of The Netherlands, is forced to flee to London while her daughter, Princess Juliana and Juliana’s two daughters, escape to Canada. Queen Wilhelmina organizes a Dutch government-in-exile stationed in London where she oversees and funds the Dutch resistance movement in The Netherlands, along with the help of Dutch resistance banker Walraven “Wally” van Hall. The goal of the government-in-exile, besides keeping the royal family safe until they can return to The Netherlands, is to make sure the Dutch resistance movement has the funds needed to continue to fight the Nazis until their eventual defeat. This is the beginning of Stephen Gardner’s upcoming feature film, “Let It Be Known,” set to hopefully begin filming in two years. The film follows the intertwined stories of openly gay artist and Dutch resistance member Willem Arondeus, along with prominent lesbian orchestral conductor and Jewish woman Frieda Belinfante as they organize resistance activities to help end Nazi-occupation in The Netherlands. “This is a version of a Holocaust story that we simply haven’t heard before,” Gardner says when asked why this story needs to come out. “These people [members of the Dutch resistance] were just incredible. They lost everything just to be who they were. They were war heroes, and they saved thousands of Jews.”
