IDAHOT 2016 country reports : Germany

Germany  once again hosted a wide variety of campaigns and events across the country. From both state officials and community organisations, IDAHOT 2016 has promised to provide a valuable outlet for Germany’s LGBTI community.
Across many cities the Rainbow-Flashmobs once again drew big crowds to launch rainbow colored balloons in sign of hope and solidarity to neighboring countries, where similar events were also planned, but kept confidential for security reasons, like in Russia or Ukraine.

While many large events took place, as in the video above from Stuttgart, smaller gatherings were also held in Trier, Koln, Nordhein-Westfallen, Kaiserslautern and a number of other locations.
In Jena, local activists for IDAHOT Jena hosted a series of eclectic activities for IDAHOT 2016. From May 12 – 23 the festival of events  included film screenings, club nights, performances, talks and workshops all with the aim of promoting equality and solidarity while creating an important outlet for the LGBTI community.
In Kaiserlautern, activists planned an afternoon of events that hoped to raise awareness for the LGBT community and their problems in Germany. The event featured public talks, a mass ‘kiss-in’ and of course, luftballons!
In Berlin, a march drew crowds to the streets

In Mainz the focus this year was on love, with a public kiss-in held to mark the day.
In Hanover orgnisations held a demonstration with talks around the theme of equality for the IDAHOT Rainbow Flash. In Rheinland-Pfalz a number of small independent events were held on the morning of IDAHOT, organized by local campaign groups and Rheinland-Pflaz authorities in towns across the region.
Hamburg Flashmob: