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Carnival-like atmosphere at the traditional Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade in Berlin
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You are not Alone
Statistical analysis indicates that not fewer than five percent of the population is gay or lesbian. Thanks to the tireless work of numerous organizations and clubs, as well as the not to be underestimated contribution of the gay lobby, the situation of gays and lesbians has improved significantly in the last decade. There is much more everyday acceptance and tolerance. Twenty years ago a gay or lesbian couple walking in public hand in hand would have attracted negative attention, today it is hardly considered unusual. Strong gay communities have established themselves in every major German city, and are increasingly becoming an important economic group. In Cologne and Berlin, the two cities with the largest gay communities, the gay scene extends beyond the subculture, and many entertainment outlets, service industries, and real estate services cater mainly to gay customers.
More and more politicians and celebrities in Germany are openly admitting their homosexuality. To be gay or lesbian is no longer to be marginalized. In afternoon television talk shows gay sex is discussed openly, and the daily soaps long ago introduced their quota of gay and lesbian characters. With many goals of emancipation already achieved, many gay people are more concerned with superficialities than with content. Film and television has helped to make the "Adonis type" image of the gay man the model of homosexual narcissistic manliness. The image of the beautiful, fashion conscious gay man continues to enjoy much currency.
The traditional Christopher Street Day (CSD) political events and parades in Berlin and Cologne on the first weekends of July continue to attract tens of thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators, and the carnival-like atmosphere increases each year. The biggest CSD parade takes place in Cologne. In 2008, organizers registered almost 500,000 visitors. Gays and lesbians around the world celebrate Christopher Street Day to mark the beginnings of their social and political emancipation. It dates back to the gay uprising in New York in the summer of 1969, when gays and lesbians resisted a police raid on the "Stonewall Inn" gay bar in Greenwich Village. That resistance ended in weeklong street battles between the police and the gay community - who had strong support from other members of the New York community. It was the beginning of active and aggressive civil rights campaigns by gay and lesbian groups both in the USA and around the world. One of the best-known and most active groups that was founded during this revolutionary period is the IGLF - the International Gay and Lesbian Liberation Front.
Numerous homosexual interest groups, clubs, political and professional associations are also active in their own specialist areas. In Germany today, there are gay and lesbian groups in almost all political parties and within the churches. There are numerous gay and lesbian centres offering counselling and workshops - for example, "coming out groups" for young people. There are workshops and self-help groups for gay fathers, friends and relations of people who are HIV positive, or gay and lesbian disabled groups. Almost every German university has gay and lesbian representatives and political representatives, who - independently of the student organization AStA but with its financial support - defend the interests of gays and lesbian students and teaching staff, offer help and information for interested students, and maintain libraries and archives of gay and lesbian culture. One important task of gay and lesbian representatives in the universities is to define and promote gay and lesbian content in teaching and research. All in all, gays and lesbians in Germany are represented in many areas of life in Germany, and offer to advice and help to those who want it.
Viktor Kirchmeier
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