Our Team

Board Members

Beyong Veldkamp

Founder and co-chair of Trans United Europe

is a trans activist, networker and Pride ambassador. In 2017, she won the Jos Brink Innovation Award. Not much later she was formally invited to meet the Dutch royal family, and on December 7th, 2021, she was crowned by COC Nederland as ‘Star of the Future’, for her tireless service to our community.

Several times per month, BeyonG is at the Amsterdam Trans House with a walk-in consultation hour for LGBT people of color. It is part of Buurtteam Amsterdam Centrum, an institution for social services.

Contact: beyong@transunitedeurope.eu

Dinah de Riquet-Bons

Co-chair Trans United Europe

is an LGBTQI+, HIV and AIDS and Sex work activist, who also holds various board positions at NGOs such as Transgender Europe (TGEU), UniGlobal Sex Workers Project, European Sex Workers Alliance, Equinox -Initiative for Racial Justice, and the H-Team Amsterdam, team to eradicate the spread of new HIV infections. In 1991, at the age of 21, she began her life as an activist as a part of Act Up New York’s black and Latino youth group. Ever since, she has been active internationally in the field of sex work activism, HIV activism, anti-racism and trans/LGBTQI+ activism, and at UNAIDS as an incoming emissary PCB NGO for Europe. Locally, she engages in advocacy and health care provision for trans people of color, homeless trans people, and trans refugees. Thanks to her years of work experience, she is adept at collaborating with various political bodies: from municipalities to ministries and the Council of Europe to specific European commissions.

Contact: dinah@transunitedeurope.eu

Samira Hakim

Secretary Trans United Europe

is a trans and sex work activist, and is involved with various boards and commissions to improve the emancipation of the trans community of color. She works as confidential counselor for the Amsterdam Center for Sex Workers (ACS), and for Transgender Netwerk Nederland (TNN). In 2018 she was involved in the organization of a pre-conference “HIV Prevention among Transgender People: Advances and Challenges-AIDS 2018” in Amsterdam, in preparation for the 2018 AIDS Conference. She is dedicated to address issues that affect the trans community globally in regards to HIV and AIDS. On a local level, she has developed programs and projects such as Self Defense for Trans People, voice coaching, and the yearly commemoration of Transgender Day of Remembrance. She is very involved in trans empowerment.

Contact: samira@transunitedeurope.eu