Augsburg celebrates diversity: CSD on June 14th shows the flag for tolerance!

Augsburg celebrates diversity: CSD on June 14th shows the flag for tolerance!

Today, June 14, 2025, the Augsburg city association and many other cities are taking a clear stance for a cosmopolitan and fair society on the occasion of Christopher Street Day (CSD). The CSD not only has a long tradition that goes back to the protests against police violence at the Stonewall Inn in New York in 1969, but also today stands for visibility, tolerance and the right to self-determination of LGBTIQ* people. The Augsburg Greens cordially invite all interested parties to take part in the parade from 12 p.m. and the street festival from 3 p.m. on the town hall square in order to set an example together for the rights of queer people. According to the Greens, this year's focus is clearly on the visibility and acceptance of diversity in our society.

June is celebrated worldwide as Pride Month, when people stand up for diversity and against discrimination through parades and demonstrations. Numerous events in Berlin and Brandenburg are taking place this month and are increasing public awareness of the LGBTQIA* community. The first CSDs have already taken place this year, and many more are planned in the coming weeks. These events are not only a celebration of diversity, but also a call to action to promote the rights and visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. The situation is particularly affected in cities like Berlin, where the number of anti-queer attacks in 2022 was 791, almost twice as high as four years ago, which once again underlines the urgency of such initiatives, as reporting by rbb24 shows.

Demands and action plans

The requirements for politics are clearly defined. The Greens are calling, among other things, for explicit protection of LGBTIQ* in accordance with Article 3 of the Basic Law and full equality for rainbow families. Another critical point is the reform of parentage law. The “Queer Life” action plan, which was approved on November 18, 2022, is intended to support these initiatives and includes measures in six areas of action: legal recognition, participation, security, health, strengthening advisory and community structures and international aspects. The results of a current survey by Ipsos also show that these topics are highly relevant. Accordingly, 78% of Germans support protecting lesbians, gays and bisexuals from discrimination.

In this difficult climate, in which democratic rights for queer people worldwide are often questioned, it remains of great importance that queer events like the CSD strengthen the community and make it visible. An example of the diversity of CSD activities is the CSD in Potsdam, which will continue on June 15th with a rainbow bicycle demo. This diverse collection of events underlines that commitment to a fair society is not only important, but also necessary.

Social support and global developments

Although the situation in many countries is tense and global support for openly living LGBTQ* people has decreased, there is a broad consensus in Germany for equal rights and protection measures. 71% of the German population supports legal gay marriage, and 74% support equal adoption rights for same-sex couples. These are all signs that society is ready to stand up for the rights and equality of queer people, which is well illustrated by the results of the Ipsos survey. While discrimination is increasing worldwide, numerous studies show that acceptance in Germany continues to grow.

Overall, the CSD, which is celebrating in Augsburg today, not only shows the achievements of the LGBTQIA* movement, but also the challenges that still exist. He reminds us that we must fight for equality and that it is time to practice activism in our own city.

Further information can be found in the reports from Greens Augsburg, rbb24 and Press portal to read.