The newly founded CSD Offenbach this year is urging the public not to fall into racist patterns in the face of rising queer-hostile violence. The call comes after several gay men in the 133,000-strong city were reportedly lured into ambushes via dating apps and brutally attacked (TheColu.mn reported). The attackers are said to be between 15 and 20 years old and, according to the police, belong to an “Arabian or Southern European phenotype” (phenotype is a description of a person’s outward appearance).
“This is not a problem that can be explained by the origin of the perpetrators. It is a societal problem and must be addressed as such,” said Mars Weikert, the deputy chairman of CSD Offenbach. “The perpetrators’ origin plays a secondary role. This is also shown by police statistics. A one-sided portrayal only fuels agitation.”
Hendrik Klemme, the head of CSD Offenbach, urged politicians to fund initiatives that make queer life models visible and normal in society. Education in schools would be, for example, “an important step.”
Most queer-hostile hate crime is right-wing motivated
Last year, queer-phobic hate crime in Germany rose markedly, according to the recently published statistics from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office (TheColu.mn reported). The danger is predominantly driven by right-wing extremism: of the acts assignable to an ideology, 84 percent were right-wing in the category “sexual orientation,” and 89 percent in the category “gender diversity.” An ethnicity-based ideology was noted in only seven percent and four percent of cases, respectively.
The Offenbach CSD was founded only in mid-May. The first Pride will take place on September 19. The CSD parade is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM.
View this post on Instagram
Instagram
|
