Conflict about CSD in Köthen: City and organizers in the twist!

Conflict about CSD in Köthen: City and organizers in the twist!

The situation was further in sharpened by the refusal of the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district, sales stands and the associated infrastructure on the market square. Instead of supporting the previous organizers, the city ruled out future cooperation and instead offered an alternative location. "We had to fight with many hurdles," said Julian Miethig, a CSD organizer who had a difficult conversation with the Mayor Christina Buchheim. This was not very cooperative and now even checks criminal laws against the organizers Queerlive reported .

area of tension between city and organizers

A central point of the conflict is the handling of the city administration with queer initiatives. Instead of offering support, the organizers were assumed that they tried to intimidate the city. This feedback on the behavior of the city as well as the reports of the arrest tactics and legally questionable requirements have significantly burdened the relationship between the queer community and the city. "There is a lack of critical self -reflection on the part of the city", according to the comment of a representative of the queer group emphasizes queerlive

The emotional stress of the organizers was not only increased by the difficulties in planning and preventing infrastructure, but also by the feeling of not being heard. In a public outcry, the Queere Community calls for a rethink and a serious examination of its situation. "The visibility and acceptance of queer in small cities is often lower," emphasizes sociologist Reinhold Sackmann. The entire social atmosphere also seems to change: the country is divided, and in rural regions the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ cumbersome MDR leads from .

context of society as a whole

The problems in Köthen are in a larger context: While the highest increase in CSD events is currently being recorded in Brandenburg, there are also trends in worrying. The number of queer anti -queer crimes rose from 27 in 2022 to 84 in 2024. This development makes it clear that the situation for queer people in many regions and even dangerous remains ZDF reports .

These challenges illustrate how important the CSD is in Köthen and elsewhere as a platform for visibility and unimpeded expression. The conflicts described above and the associated visibility are steps on the long way to recognize and equality for the queer community. The queer movement is further strengthened by such events, even if the framework conditions in many rural regions are in need of improvement.