IDAHOT Events 2015: Germany

Germany has seen a big variety of actions across the country. The LSVD (Lesbian Gay Association Germany) and their local members have prepared the traditional rainbow flash mobs in different cities while other local groups joint this year’s celebration in many different ways.

[box type=”note” ]We are still busy collecting information on this year’s IDAHOT activities and are waiting to hear back from activists and event organisers. If you have information to share with us, please write us at contact@dayagainsthomophobia.org[/box]
Rainbow Flashmob and Commemoration of homosexual NS-victims in Hamburg
The LSVD Hamburg did organise a rainbow flashmob where they release over 1000 balloons with personal messages from around 700 participants. They have also organised a religious ceremony to commemorate the victims of NS prosecution of Homosexuals and reviewed ten years of the initiative ‘Gemeinsam gegen das Vergessen – Stolpersteine für homosexuelle NS-Opfer’. The activities received broad support from 70 organisations. The organisers also highlighted this year’s global theme LGBTQI Youth and Lisa Petschke from the YouthLesbianCenter reported about the difficulties she faced as a young Lesbian in Hamburg.

Find more information on their Facebook page.
‘Rainbowflashes’ in Saxonia
In the tradition of releasing colourful balloons, the LSVD Sachsen (regional representation of the Lesbian Gay Association Germany in Saxonia) prepared for a number of ‘Rainbowflashes’ in various cities in the province.
The LSVD Sachsen has been organising these events for IDAHOT since 2010. An important part of the actions is to raise awareness of the situation for homosexual people in those parts of the world where homosexuality is still criminalised and to show their solidarity.
The messages that were attached to the balloons speak up against hate, violence, exclusion and discrimination.
Places for ‘Rainbowflashes’ were

• Chemnitz, Roter Turm
• Dresden, Goldener Reiter on the Neustädter Markt
• Leipzig, Augustusplatz
• Plauen, Theater Platz
• Pirna, Marktplatz
• Schneeberg, in the cultural centre “Goldene Sonne”
• Torgau: Marktplatz
• Görlitz

Find more details and updates on the event page.
Balloons in Cologne
In a joint effort with members of the Aidshilfe Köln, anyway, Heart of Cologne, Homoklüngel e.V., LSVD OV Köln and Landesverband, Rheinfetisch e.V., Rubicon and TX Köln, KLuST/ColognePride hosted the RainbowFlashmob again this year in the city of Cologne.
On the Roncalliplatz in front of the Cologne Cathedral an estimate of 1.500 balloons equipped with personal messages against Homophobia and Transphobia were released into the sky. The messages called for diversity and tolerance.
Find out more on their Facebook page.
 
 
More actions organised by LSVD and affiliates…
„Mit Vielfalt gegen Homophobie und Transphobie“ (With Diversity against Homophobia and Transphobia) is the name of a manifestation and participatory action that the LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg prepared in Berlin. The event took place on May 17 at the Metro Station Wittenbergplatz, exit KaDeWe. Local Football clubs joined the celebrations and spoke up for more diversity in sports. The event was followed by a photo action where everyone was invited to share their message for IDAHOT.
Find more details here.

For IDAHOT 2015, the LSVD Sachsen-Anhalt commemorated the 80th anniversary of Magnus Hirschfeld’s death on May 16. Part of the event was a celebration and naming ceremony of a street in Magdeburg in honour of Magnus Hirschfeld. Find more details here.
Stuttgart saw a day of activities on May 17 in the city centre with info booths and the traditional rainbow flashmobs with around 350 people releasing balloons. The city’s Equality Commissioner Ms. Ursula Matschke and other local politicians took part in the celebrations. Details here.
And in Schwerin, the LSVD-LV Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Gaymeinsam e.V. held their Rainbow flashmob action at the Pfaffenteich. Find more details here.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! OPEN YOUR MOUTH
The private initiative ENOUGH is ENOUGH! OPEN YOUR MOUTH! celebrated the 11th IDAHOT with activists and guests this year at the Brandenburg Gate. In cooperation with the Project 100% Mensch, 77 (LOVE IS LOVE) celebrated its premiere as Pride song 2015. There was a variety of musical and art performances throughout the day. The event at the Brandenburg Gate (Pariser Plaza) was hosted by Holger Edmaier and Anne Heger. The campaign used the hashtag #WirAlleGemeinsam (All of us unified), which allowed everyone to send an individual message. STOP HOMOPHOBIA. STOP TRANSPHOBIA.
Despite the bad weather, the event was well received and had a great turnout with over 1.000 guests. International guest were also invited to share their stories and to enable networking on a global level.

At 17th of may, the International day against homophobia and transphobia, the LGBT activists Stosh Mugisha from Uganda, Alfonso Pantinsano from Germany and Kirill Kalugin from Russia met at the demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
Stosh had to leave Uganda after a newspaper had published his name in a list of the „Top 100 homosexuals“ and caused a real manhunt.
Kirill Kalugin, a student from St. Petersburg, raises attention again and again with courageous LGBT-activities and thereby bcomes victim of brutal homophobic violence and repression by the state in russia.
More details and images here.

Find out more about the project here.
IDAHIT* in Leipzig
After a successful demonstration on May 17 last year, the organisers, a group of the student representatives of the University of Leipzig, decided to have a demonstration again this year which was rounded up by a concert with Electro-Pop band POP:SCH.
The organisers decided to name the event IDAHIT* to be inclusive of intersex people and to highlight the issues of Interphobia that are often forgotten within the queer community and society in general. Around 350 people participated in the demonstration that went through the city and was accompanied with electric music and queer-feminist rap. Additionally, the organisers and participants commemorated Ferinaz Khosrewani who died in Irani-Kurdistan and showed their solidarity with the resistance against the patriarchal islamic regime in the region.
Find more details on their Facebook page.
IDAHOT* Jena
For the seventh time, the IDAHOT* Jena team was working very hard to set up a multi-week program with street-fairs (on May 17), cinema, talks, lectures, workshops and more.

• May 12: workshop ‘Online provocations’
• May 12: discussion ‘Football for diversity – Possibilities of the ‘Berliner Erklärung’
• May 13: film screening “Call Me Kuchu” + short movies
• May 14: discussion round  “IDAHOT* vs. IDAHIT*”
• May 17: City festival with info booths, actions and music. Rainbow Flashmob with colourful balloons
• May 17: Signing on Berliner Erklärung
• May 18: dancing courses
• May 19: social gathering ‘Coming Out’
• May 20: presentation and discussion ‘Femme as a queer identity’
• May 21: discussion on Queer Lives in Thuringia
• May 23: Concert and Party (Kassablanca)
• May 27: in Jena Presentation about religious discrimination at the work place (https://www.facebook.com/events/592985894174540/)
  and in Weimar discussion round on „masculinism, Antifeminism, right wing populism“
• May 28: Public reading ‘Gender Roles and other (children) stories’

Find out more on their Facebook page or website.
Kiss-In in Paderborn
On May 17, at 17:05 (5:05pm)a Kiss-in flash took place in front of the town hall Paderborn.
Read more about the event on the Facebook page.

IDAHOTI* in Heidelberg
The IDAHOTI* Heidelberg was organised by the Queer Student Representatives (Queerreferat Heidelberg) of the University of Heidelberg. They have come up with a number of events:
May 7: 7.30pm
Presentation “LSBTTIQ* in Russia”
City Library
organised by Quarteera e.V. and CSD Rhein Neckar e.V.
May 13: 7:00pm
Queerfeminist Movie Night in solidarity to the Lady*fest Heidelberg
breidenbach studios, Hebelstraße 18
organised by Queerreferat Heidelberg und Lady*fest Heidelberg. Find out more here
May 16: 6pm
Presentation “LSBTTIQ* in Africa”
Landfriedhaus, Landfriedkomplex
May 17: 11am
Movie premiere “Positive Gefühle”
Karlstor station, Grand Hall. Find out more here.
2pm
Info booths at Anatomiegarten
Hauptstraße 47-51, HD (in front of Psychology Institute). Find out more here.
4.45pm
“Rainbow-Flash” Balloon Action
Anatomiegarten
May 19: 7pm
“Mr. Angel” – Movie screening with discussion round
breidenbach studios, Hebelstrasse 18
organised by schwarzweiss e.V and Initiative in Heidelberg “Identität & Geschlechtlichkeit”
Rainbow Flashmob with Angels in Frankfurt/Main
The ‘Frankfurter Engel Freundeskreis’ (Frankfurt Angels), a group who has organised previous IDAHOT, hosted this year’s IDAHOT celebration at the Klaus-Mann-Platz in Frankfurt on May 17th.
Guest speakers
– Jeffrey Hill, US Consulate General in Frankfurt
– Arthur Ahmetgaliev and his partner Sasha, political refugee from St.Petersburg/Russland
– Helmut Richard Brox, activists for homeless people and partner of Günter Wallraff
– Rayan Benyahoun, gay moroccan student in Frankfurt
– Enis Gülegen, member of communal representation ‘Ausländervertretung’ KAV in Frankfurt
– Harald Rein, founder of the Frankfurt center for the unemployed
– Walter Jauernich, actor and speaker at theatre Die Schmiere
The variety of backgrounds and focus areas showed the importance of standing together in solidarity and share experiences.
After the speeches the balloons with the messages were released.
Social Democrats raised the Rainbow flag
On Wednesday, May 13, the Schwusos, the Gay Social Democrats, together with SPD Secretary General Klara Geywitz raised the Rainbow flag on the SPD Brandenburg building, Regine-Hildebrandt-Haus, Alleestraße 9, Potsdam. The flag was flying till May 17. See more here.