Diversity: Thousands celebrate Christopher Street Day in Erfurt

Colorful, tolerant and diverse: Several thousand people took part Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Erfurt demonstrated for the rights of the queer scene. According to the organizers, well over 4,000 people took part in the demonstration around Theaterplatz in Erfurt in high summer temperatures. The police spoke of up to 3,500 participants.

“We want to show diversity and acceptance of the queer scene.” “We are part of society,” said Richard Gleitsmann, spokesman for the Erfurt CSD. The influx was larger than last year, as was the number of supporters, including, for the first time, a large company.

Following the outcome of the Thuringian state election with the AfD As the strongest party, there is concern that acceptance of queer life could decline, said Gleitsmann. The AfD propagates a very traditional image of the family and rejects other forms of people living together. “AfD supporters tend to be hostile towards us.”

Concern in the queer scene

Another cause for concern was that right-wing groups had acted against queer people in Leipzig and Bautzen in Saxony this year. “We want everyone to be able to live peacefully,” said the CSD spokesman. This also applies to queer structures in rural areas, which must be protected. Another demand at the demonstration was the reception of the queer center in Erfurt and its reliable promotion.

Christopher Street Day commemorates the uprisings of the queer community on Christopher Street in New York in 1969. It is about the equality of homosexual, transsexual, bisexual, queer and intersex people.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240908-930-226450/1