Courage and diversity: CSD service in Leipzig celebrates the open church!

Courage and diversity: CSD service in Leipzig celebrates the open church!

Meißen, Deutschland - on June 22, 2025, a festive atmosphere in the air, the Catholic youth Leipzig celebrated its third service to Christopher Street Day (CSD) in the Propsteikirche. Together with the diocese champion Michael Kreher Kreher and youth officer Stefan Plattner, a significant sign of courage and visibility was set. A central component of the service was to deal with injuries and the longing for an open and inviting church. This reports Bistum-dresden-meissen.de .

Stefan Plattner emphasized that the CSD must not be dismissed as a costume festival - it is a powerful expression of the resistance of queer people against violence and exclusion. He spoke openly about the challenges that it brings to hide his identity, for fear of not listening. These words were very well received, especially when a young person expressed that she could imagine that Jesus would run along with the CSD. Plattner found this idea surprising at first, but recognized the deeper truth in it: Jesus was always at the side of the excluded and would also actively advocate love and acceptance today.

a colorful exchange

After the service, a happy exchange took place in the courtyard. Here the participants not only expected refreshing drinks, but also the so -called rainbow pizza. These colorful culinary ideas symbolized the constantly changing and colorful church.

But the CSD has a long and eventful story that can be traced back to the 19th century. The origin goes back to paragraph 175 of the German Criminal Code, which punished homosexual acts between men. National Socialists further tightened this paragraph in 1935. A total of around 50,000 men were convicted by the end of the Second World War - around 5,000 to 6,000 of them were even deported to concentration camps. In the Federal Republic, the tightened version remained until 1969 when the first reform took place, followed by other milestones in the case law, which the LGBTQIA+ community finally equalized.

A look at the story

The persecution and discrimination of LGBTQIA+ Mensch has a long tradition in Germany, starting with the introduction of paragraph 175 in 1871 to complete deletion in 1994. Despite the progress in recent decades - like the introduction of marriage for everyone in 2017 - the fight for equality remains a central topic. The visibility and recognition of LGBTQIA+ Mensch has increased, but improvements in the Transsexuals Act and other reforms are urgently necessary to reduce discriminatory structures.

It is important that society remains attentive and active for the rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation. As Verlagederzukunft.de must be promoted to celebrate the variety of identities and to gradually dismantle.

The CSD service in Leipzig was not only a celebration of diversity, but also a valuable opportunity for reflection on the way that the LGBTQIA+ community went in Germany. The message was clear: there is still a long way to go, but the direction is correct.