Rainbow flag waving in the wind against blue sky with sun rays (chandlervid85 (123RF))
LGBTQ+ Pride Month, is celebrated in June in the United States, and is dedicated to honoring and recognizing the LGBTQ+ community. The origins of Pride Month trace back to the Stonewall riots in 1969, a pivotal event in the fight for gay liberation. While Pride is celebrated in June in the U.S., Europe hosts Pride parades from April to September. Christopher Street Day (CSD) is an annual European LGBTQ+ event held in various cities to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and combat discrimination. CSD is held in memory of the Stonewall riots, which occurred at 51 and 53 Christopher Street in the district of Greenwich Village, New York City.
Crowd at Wiesbaden Rathaus (Natalie Ricketts)
The Wiesbaden CSD on May 25th marked the beginning of the festival season in the Rhineland-Pfalz area. This 12th annual CSD had the theme “Defend democracy - preserve diversity.” Participants marched through the streets and pedestrian zones of Wiesbaden, with various organizations, parties, and civil society groups coming together, each with their own party bus and DJ. The event culminated in Kulturpark am Schlachthof with a summer festival featuring a drag show and performances by different organizations.
While each CSD event is unique, they all share a common atmosphere of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, with thousands of people taking to the streets. Attending a CSD event is a remarkable experience that I highly recommend. Some of the noteworthy CSD events include Berlin Pride, CSD Hamburg, CSD Cologne in Germany, and Zürich in Switzerland. Last year, KMC Pride attended CSD SaarLorLux, Darmstadt, Mannheim, Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.
Crowd holding Pride flags (Natalie Ricketts)
KMC Pride schedules CSD meet-ups for the Rhineland-Pfalz CSD. We are also working with Queeres Zentrum Kaiserslautern e.V. to bring CSD to Kaiserslautern!
Join KMC Pride at their next CSD event in Mannheim on July 13!
