Protesters Cheer Loudly: "Silence Breaks Forever!" – 500 Individuals Commemorate Pride Parade in Ingolstadt
Christopher Street Day (CSD) Events in Germany: A Call for Tolerance, Visibility, and Equality
In cities across Germany, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) events continue to serve as significant platforms advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, visibility, and equality. This year, cities like Berlin and Ingolstadt hosted vibrant celebrations that combined celebration with protest, emphasizing unity, friendship, and love as core messages while demanding legal and social equality.
In the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt, approximately 500 people gathered on Saturday for the CSD, a number that underscores the growing significance of these events. The city's Mayor, Petra Kleine, expressed her support for the event, stating that Ingolstadt values, loves, and supports the CSD. The rainbow flag flies at the town hall as a visible sign of solidarity.
Eva Bulling-Schröter, the patron of the CSD 2025, considered it an honor to accompany the event. She declared that they stand up for the rights of gays, lesbians, trans, inter, and bisexuals, and that the CSD in Ingolstadt is not just a festival, but a powerful signal against exclusion. Bulling-Schröter demanded a loud and proud CSD and appealed to protect the achieved rights and not to turn back.
Various speakers at the open stage made it clear that the fight for acceptance has achieved progress but is far from over. Protesters held signs with messages like "Too colorful here, poor thing", "Make love not war", "Proud to be", and "Not a circus tent, a home for all", highlighting the ongoing need for visibility and political advocacy offered by CSD.
In Berlin—the site of one of Europe's largest CSD celebrations—tens of thousands participate annually in vibrant parades and demonstrations that commemorate the 1969 Stonewall rebellion and call for ongoing LGBTQ+ rights and solidarity. These events underscore the importance of public visibility and political advocacy offered by CSD, as German authorities report a rise in anti-queer crimes.
Solidarity and social recognition are important for events like CSD, especially in times when fear and hate are growing stronger. Kai Wegner, Berlin's governing mayor, warned of increasing fear in the queer community and attacks on CSD by right-wing groups.
Beyond Berlin, in other German cities like Cologne and Ingolstadt, CSD initiatives are also vital for raising awareness and fostering inclusion within local business and social settings. Companies such as ERGO have actively shown solidarity by participating in CSD parades and empowering employee-led networks, reflecting CSD’s role in promoting corporate diversity and inclusion culture alongside broader societal acceptance.
In sum, CSD events in Germany today continue to serve as powerful socio-political expressions of LGBTQ+ pride, resistance to discrimination, and calls for equality, visibility, and safer, more tolerant societies, all while confronting ongoing opposition and the need for sustained political engagement at municipal and national levels. Ingolstadt, in particular, stands behind the CSD and supports an open, colorful society, declaring that it should never be silent again in the future.
- The CSD events in Germany, such as the one in Ingolstadt, not only serve as entertainment but also foster a lifestyle that promotes unity, love, and resistance to discrimination, emphasizing the importance of visibility and equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
- Eva Bulling-Schröter, patron of the CSD 2025, advocates that the CSD in cities like Ingolstadt is more than just an entertainment event; it is a profound statement against exclusion, a stand for the rights of gays, lesbians, trans, inter, and bisexuals, and a call for legal and social equality.
