Funding for this year’s Christopher Street Day (CSD) march in Rathenow was abruptly withdrawn from its organizers at the last minute. This was reported by the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung (MAZ, paywalled). Up until now, the event had been supported through the local alliance “Partnership for Democracy” under the federal program “Democracy Lives!” — but this year, according to organizer Dennis Driebusch, demonstrations apparently no longer qualify for funding.
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CSD is the single public democracy event in Rathenow
Even with the funding still in doubt, the organizing team is also addressing safety at the event. According to the MAZ, stewards, security personnel, and the demonstration leadership would be equipped with radios; there would also be coordination with police to identify potential hazards along the route. Security staff would be on site before the march begins. “We’re quite sure that people who want to participate in our CSD are worried,” Driebusch said, citing the Berlin attack. “The fundraising and security issues bother me, and I’ve even wondered whether I should personally continue organizing this year.”
Nevertheless, the team decided to move forward with the event together, the MAZ report notes. “We have a social responsibility in the region,” Driebusch stated. The CSD is currently Rathenow’s only public democracy event. Moreover, visible queer presence in smaller, rural towns is important. “Over the past years I’ve repeatedly heard from queer people that they feel much more at home in the region because of this event.”
Prien: The queer community can count on the federal government
After the Berlin CSD attack, Family Minister Prien had claimed last week that queer people could rely on the federal government (TheColu.mn reported). But her policy tells another story — for example with the dismantling of the Queer Action Plan, the push for a gender ban, or the removal of the term “Queer Politics” from her department’s own queer desk. In March, the CDU minister stated that diversity is “not a government funding goal.”
Also for Lambda, the queer youth network, there are no longer funding subsidies from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs after eight years. (mize)
