Agency Report –
A decision by the administration of Germany’s lower house of parliament to prevent a network of queer employeers from participating in Pride celebrations has sparked controversy.
The government’s commissioner for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) community, Sophie Koch, told dpa on Tuesday that the move sends a “wrong and unnecessary signal.”
A spokeswoman for the Bundstag administration confirmed that the director “made the decision that the administration itself, as a result of its duty of neutrality, does not participate in political demonstrations and public gatherings.”
She underlined that employees were free to take part in Berlin’s Pride celebrations – known locally as Christopher Street Day (CSD) – on July 26 as individuals.
CSD is a reference to the location of the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighbourhood, where a protest against police discrimination on June 28, 1969, kick-started the gay liberation movement.
The Bundestag’s Rainbow Network participated in Berlin’s CSD festivities in 2023 and 2024.
Organizers called the move an “active rejection of queer visibility.”
“Anyone who prohibits the participation of queer networks from state institutions is tacitly denouncing the consensus that fundamental rights should be visibly defended,” they added.
Queer Commissioner Koch said she would like “all parties involved to enter into dialogue with each other before making such decisions.”
At a time when demonstrations by the queer community and diversity festivals are under attack in Germany, “great solidarity and visible support” are needed, Koch added.
