This site shows the speeches of the Pride as written texts.
“Queer Resistance” by AIL
Dear queers and allies of all colours!
Dear activists, dear friends, dear comrades!
We from AIL want to dedicate our speech to resistant queer practice.
If you follow the news closely, if you take a look at the social networks, if you listen in the community, there is a pattern. We keep hearing reports of anti-queer hostility, devaluation and violence. And all too often, the fear arises that things might not get better, but rather worse. But what can we do to change this?
The bourgeois answer is simple: fit in, don’t stand out so much, then nothing will happen to you. With gay marriage and a business pantsuit, please imitate as best you can exactly the restrictive norms that have just punished you for breaking out of them so harshly. Frequently connected with the hint that one could turn to the police after all. With conformation to the heterosexual standard, a safer life is promised.
We know: This is bullshit! It is not queerness that endangers us, but queerphobia! It is not assimilation that protects us from attacks, but our outcry against them! Against misanthropic assholes and fascist thugs there is no help in hiding and self-humiliation, but in feminist self-confidence and practical anti-fascist solidarity!
The self-defense trainings of the self-ironically named “Homokommandos” in Poland are a brave example of what successful queer resistance can look like.
And looking back to Christopher Street, remembering the experience before the Stonewall Riots gives also a warning. It reminds us to be wary of the hope of recognition through assimilation.
This hope, which also comes up from time to time in leftist queer circles, sadly is as understandable as it is false. How beautifully simple it would be if we could return to the bosom of oh-so-free and equal bourgeois society with a little less colourful hair, with waiving unfamiliar pronouns, with the renunciation of sinful polyamory.
But aren’t the divisive, oppressive, ostracising mechanisms that keep this society going on the one hand exactly what harshly discriminates us on the other? They don’t get diminished just because we voluntarily submit to them. They will diminish if we expose, criticize and abolish them!
This hope is also false because the state forcibly locks up those of us who do not fit into its order in psychiatric hospitals, jails or deportation prisons. Because sex workers are still stigmatized and socially marginalized. Because cops don’t protect, but rather persecute us.
Believing in this narrative is dangerous because it takes away our courage to stand united in our diversity for our common, indivisible human rights. We must not let it stop us from joining together and taking space together!
Let’s pair up anger and affection!
Let’s party together and fight together!
Because Pride is not just today, Pride is every day!
For the deconstruction of the norm, for the defeat of capitalism, for smashing the patriarchy!
We’re here, we’re queer – we’re fabulous, don’t mess with us!
“Stalking and how the police deal with BiPoc in this context” by Darian
Darian Okakpu, a Nigerian and Welsh person, moved to Germany from Great Britain to pursue Doctoral studies at TU Dresden.
His dream for a scientific training was challenged by violent extremists and criminals in the Dresden Neustadt area.
In the evening of June 13th 2020, Darian’s female friend was sexually assaulted by a man that she politely rejected. Realising they were surrounded, Darian quickly grabbed his friend and escaped.
But it did not end there.
The perpetrator followed them, and physically assaulted Darian. The police were called and identified the perpetrator. The police never invited them to interview as they promised.
Two days later, while Darian was with four friends in Neustadt, another man, unknown to anyone, confronted Darian, threw trash at him, spat at him, and said “du rufan Polizei, du wurst Sterben”. He punched Darian, and chased him with a bottle for almost 2 km… He tried to kill Darian, but Darian escaped and was later rescued by his friends.
Darian realised that this was serious, so the next day, they went to the police headquarters at Pirnaischer Platz. The police were unhelpful, and after some arguing, they finally agreed to take the anzeige.
In the following months, the perpetrator repeatedly followed, harassed, threatened, and assaulted Darian and those around him. The perpetrator would see Darian at cafes, restaurants, bars… while shopping, while walking, on public transport… and threaten, harass and assault him. After months of this, the perpetrator found Darian and his friends outside BOYS bar. The perpetrator began shouting vile homophobic abuse, “FAGGOT! FAGGOT! FAGS LIKE YOU DON’T BELONG HERE!”….
Darian reflected for a long time…
“Fags like me do not belong here? Maybe he is right.”
Darian sought help and support from EVERYWHERE.
Basically only Gerede and RAA Sachsen helped – the others – namely CSD Dresden DID NOT EVEN BOTHER TO RESPOND TO DARIAN’S DISTRESS. Even to this day they refuse to meaningfully engage. Shame on them.
Darian was attacked on virtually every street in Neustadt, and everything was public. He was attacked on Görlitzer straße THREE TIMES, Rothenburgerstraße TWO TIMES, Alaunstr. FOUR TIMES, Louisenstr. THREE times, Bautzner straße, Martin Luther Platz, Bischofsweg, Bischofsplatz, and Alaunplatz.
But Darian never gave up! Even as his friends abandoned him. The Queer Liberation struggle was too much when all they wanted was to enjoy and live in peace. Who wouldn’t?
Darian fought every day for his rights, and for all of our rights.
The violence escalated again when, in July 2021, after 13 months of abuse, Darian, me and my son were walking home from school, when the perpetrator ambushed us on Alaunstr. and grabbed Darian. I managed to get him free, but the perpetrator pushed me and my son, and we fell back.
We screamed for help, we screamed to call the police, but no one answered. They just watched… and finally told us to shut up despite witnessing yet another violent hate crime on the streets of Dresden. This is the story of the marginalised and the oppressed. It is safer to blame the victim than it is to have social courage. Darian understands that now.
The same happened again at Tolerade 2021, but this time, Darian got a clear photo of the perpetrator, and his friends knew how to react, they kept the attackers away from Darian.
From this action the police were finally able to identify the perpetrator and get his ID. Finally, after 14 months, the police had done their job.
But it did not end there.
Again, the police failed to invite Darian to interview, and the police lost the evidence – the identity of the perpetrators! Yet another example of police misconduct.
Only after months of pressuring senior police and the chief of police, did they finally find this evidence, and we finally knew his name.
But it did not end there.
The physical, psychological and social damage to Darian was extreme. The systemic racism and homophobia was unbearable. He had to stop working towards his PhD, and finally, Darian had to stop his PhD altogether.
But, it did not end there.
The police still failed to invite Darian for interview, despite multiple letters from his lawyer.
It was clear to us that the police and the institutions are not taking this seriously, that they are not investigating these violent hate crimes.
GAY MEN, WOMEN, TRANS, ALL QUEER PEOPLE ARE KILLED EVERYDAY BECAUSE OF THIS POLICE NEGLIGENCE!
WAKE UP PEOPLE!
The Civil Rights Movement was not enough. The Queer Liberation struggle is not over! Just this year, a lesbian couple were violently attacked and mobbed by a group of men, just for kissing outside Simmel Albertplatz. This year, the same perpetrator has harassed at least one other queer person of colour, our friend. Two years ago, Islamic State brutally murdered a gay man and severely injured his partner in Dresden Altstadt, in 2018 a gay man was brutally beaten death in Chemnitz by right-wing extremists, right now, queer refugees are attacked in the camps in DRESDEN! The list goes on and on…
We contacted the Minister for Justice in Saxony, senior police officers such as Dirk Möller, who is the central LGBTQI+ police contact – he never replied. We contacted Susan Lorenz, who is the witness protection officer – she never replied.
There will be no minute of silence for all those that have fallen, or for their families. We speak for everyone when we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We wish you healing, and health, and safety and JUSTICE.
The violence is not over, the perpetrator is still out there, totally free despite his horrific crimes, targeting Darian and others in our community.
So, we need your voice, we need your support…
Let real work begin….
“trans und neurodivergent” by Minzgespinst
I do not belong to it.
A thought that shaped my childhood and youth. A thought, no, a certainty that was repeatedly communicated to me verbally and non-verbally by all my environments, whether family, school or sports clubs. Until at some point I believed it myself and withdrew from myself.
I am trans, non-binary and autistic. At that time, I had no words for my trans being, my neurodivergence effectively excluded me – although it was not obvious and only diagnosed conclusively at a late stage.
The aversion of a small village against those who are “different” knows no bounds. A pretty irony, in all other subject areas boundaries are exceedingly important and readily seen – and drawn.
All queer people know the feeling of not belonging.
My non-binary siblings in particular are also told this – in part – by the trans community: We are not trans enough. We were not able to “insert any idea here” sufficiently.
As a neurodivergent person, queer spaces are often too colourful, too loud, too shrill and too
flashy – and emotionally charged.
Choosing the right words, not to offend, not to discriminate: Not so easy when you don’t have a feel for situations, subtle cues and social expectations. Trust me, we don’t do it on purpose! We only realise that we have obviously made a mistake when it is clearly pointed out to us – as in “that was discriminatory!” – is pointed out. Subtle hints (before it comes to an angry outburst because of our “ignorance”) are poorly perceived or not perceived at all by most neurodivergent people anyway – nervousness about being in new spaces and the fear of doing something “wrong” only make things worse.
At the same time, there are questions – both within the (especially trans) community, but also scientifically – about causality or at least correlation of trans and neurodivergence. Well, we have two very small groups that are simultaneously pathologised to the highest degree – the best conditions to serve as test bunnies or guinea pigs for scientific research.
Personally – as exciting as I find basic scientific research dangerous – I would ask differently: do we really need further, pathologising research and findings to make our spaces more inclusive? Even between the “so-called normal” and all neurodivergents, this binarity, a binarity that degrades us to “the other”, is currently lived. A binarity that distinguishes between “normal” and “other, somehow worse” communication, needs, stimulus processing.
Which ensures that there is less or no room in our spaces for queer, neurodivergent people – or we have to try much, much harder to be allowed to stay.
Mistakes that result from “not being able/not recognising” are interpreted as “not wanting”. Just as assaultive, dya-cis men are used as a reason to deny trans women access to women’s toilets, ignorant, neurotypical people are the reason why little to no tolerance for error is applied to our communication. Patience with “feigned cluelessness” in order to be ignorant has run out.
I understand that.
But just as trans women are not responsible for privileged, encroaching, dya-cis men are responsible, neither are neurodivergent people for assaultive, ignorant, neurotypical people.
Please consider this, if people seem ignorant to subtle cues, to your sensibilities.
– maybe they really don’t notice them.
Demos, CSD, rallies involve lots of noise, smells, stimuli and often police violence. Groups and organisations are often not inclusive.
For many neurodivergent, queer people, this leaves “only” online activism, often ridiculed and not taken seriously, to enable our political (educational) work and visibility. I too cannot stand in front of you today. You hear my voice, but you do not see me. You notice that my “us” changes like my gender – always according to the situation.
It is for you that I speak here today, for my queer, my non-binary, my neurodivergent brothers and sisters. I want to give you visibility and a voice. I want to raise my voice, to share my experiences, which are often yours as well – without speaking for you. Every neurodivergent person is unique, unfortunately our experiences of Ableism are not. I know there are people in the audience who struggle with their own neurodiversity because it is even less likely to be diagnosed in queer people than it is in cis women in the patriarchal system. I see you, I hear you,
I am here today to show our perspectives.
You are not alone. We are not alone.
SMASH THE BINARY, so that we fight inclusively and together against patriarchy and ableist power structures in society and our spaces!
“Rural queer people” by Queer Liberation Leipzig
Hello, I am Tyra from Queer Liberation Lepzig, and today I’ll talk about queer people in rural areas.
I am talking especially to big city queers and so called allies in particular. But this isn’t about begging for help, or dividing the community even more. I would like to call attention to the fact that many
queers don’t have the privilege of living in a large city.
It feels weird to call queer people privileged, because in the end we’re all affected by violence and being made invisible. But it still is a privilege to live in a large city. Anynomity means protection. Also there are potentially more queer people for networking and support. Tolerance of queer people tends to be higher, although this depends on the city, or even the part of a city. And there is better access to medical and community support.
In rural areas its a completely different picture. There’s no such thing as anonymity. Even very small deviations from any sort of norm can lead to you being the talk of the town, or worse. This often
leads to people being affected by right wing violence, because violent neo nazis are much more
comfortable in the country, due to them being much more readily accepted by the polulation outside of
multicultural cities. And because they are much less likely to encounter people who do not fit into their world view.
To be perfectly honest, this is fucked up. Not just because I hate nazis and their ideology, but also because I come from a village with about 80 residents and because I like village life and because I would like to live in a village again someday. But as a non binary trans woman this is just too dangerous. I don’t want my queerness to be the talk of the town. I don’t want to be fucked up by fascists because they despise me and because I’d disturb their perfect world. I don’t want to have to travel forever to see a queer friendly doctor. And I don’t want to end up more or less alone because many queer don’t dare to be openly queer and be politically active. And I know many people who feel the same.
During the city antifa’s annual trip to a protest in the country one of their most popular slogans is “Riot, resistance, there is no quiet countryside” and I wish it were more than lip service. Because yes, there is a quiet backcountry. And this needs to change right now!
We don’t need pretend solidarity from big city antifa. We need genuine solidarity, including from people who are not queer themselves! We need help in building our own support structures based on skillsharing, we need practical help, or at the very least money to finance our projects.
We need better medical care. Education and awareness raising concerning queerness should be mandatory for doctors and other medical personnel.
We also need better and affordable public transportation, cause many queers are being driven into
poverty by massive psychological violence and job discrimination. And most of all we need a strong antifascist movement that doesn’t just talk about hunting or punching nazis at protests, but who also put their money where their mouth is.
Stop being allies, come over to our side and become accomplices!
“Uni” by Fay Uhlmann
Topic: Study, university, gender binary, toilets, DGTI, cisnormativity, heteronormativity, misgendering, menstrual products, queer visibility
When I started my studies in 2018, I felt invisible.
At the university, there were hardly any offers for queerness, and networking with other queer people seemed impossible at the time. It was only by luck and coincidence that I met other queer people during my first semester, friends who have accompanied me to this day.
In the meantime, things have changed. Since 2020, it has been possible to enrol at TU-Dresden with the DGTI supplementary ID card, this year the Progressive Pride flag was hoisted at the rector’s office for the first time on the occasion of IDAHOBIT, there is a guideline on gender-inclusive language, and I have recently become a central contact point for queers at TU-Dresden as a queer peer counsellor and am also allowed to act as a queer lobbyist. I feel more visible as a queer, non-binary person.
That sounds quite good at first, but even at a university that is usually assumed to be progressive, there is still a lot to do.
Despite the acceptance of the DGTI, the TU’s IT systems are mostly still binary. My own gender entry has been jumping back and forth in binary for 2 years with each of my complaints. Gender-neutral toilets are desperately sought on campus and can only be found in the Diversity Management building, or in the StuRa. As far as the creation of gender-neutral and FLINTA toilets is concerned, there are initiatives from the student side, as well as a concept for free menstrual products in all toilets. The implementation, however, depends solely on the university and the Saxon Building Authority. The latter grumbles if a certain route from the workplace to a binary-gendered toilet is not followed. This makes it difficult to change existing toilets to gender-neutral or FLINTA* toilets. The fact that all people can go to gender-neutral toilets seems to be forgotten.
Also, some professors at the TU-Dresden still don’t seem to have understood that there are more than just men and women, and not only heteronormative relationships. Many examples in my studies and in the studies of others were and are cis- and heteronormative.
At least the university administration can be credited with being interested in and trying to change the current situation. But there is still a lot to do, and the university needs to be more active.
Campus life, the university and its teaching urgently need a concentrated load of queerness and diversity. We need queer networking, and queer representation in all structures of the university, also beyond the university.
We need visibility and acceptance of queer people, in all walks of life, AND NOW!
Speech by Gerede e.V.
Hello dear people!
It’s really exciting that Queer Pride is taking place in Dresden again this year! And it’s very exciting that we can contribute a speech again this year to do our part to make sure that pride is on the streets today. But we also bring a bit of anger and incomprehension towards the circumstances!
So, who are we and for whom do we speak? We are Anne and Alex from Gerede e.V., the association for sexual and gender diversity in Dresden and East Saxony, and we are taking a look at the conditions at federal, state and local level.
We are pleased that since the end of 2018, gender beyond male and female has finally been officially recognised. For inter* persons. At least on paper. However, we would be much happier
- if non-binary people, among others, no longer had to argue about their sense of identity being sufficient and decisive for a corresponding entry in the identity card.
- and if there were no longer a need for doctors to certify and assess gender. Because gender is not biology and there is nothing to certify!
It is a farce that trans* persons still have to go through costly, lengthy court proceedings that interfere with their personal rights. Even the German Therapists’ Day says that the – and I quote – “prescribed(…) compulsory psychotherapy (…) violates the right to self-determination and the principle of participatory decision-making before treatment. It (i.e. the current evaluation) contradicts essential scientific recommendations for the counselling and treatment of transgender people”. A self-determination law must finally come!
We found ourselves getting all excited when reading the new coalition agreement because so many important changes are written into it – e.g. that all parents in a rainbow family will of course be recognised as parents at the birth of their child (at least the married ones) – and in view of this we stated “Oh, how progressive!”. But this is only “progressive” given the gridlock and backlash in recent years. We have had to experience a real standstill before and after the introduction of “MARRIAGE FOR ALL”…
And so the current federal government also falls far short of its promises, neither has the national action plan been launched, nor is there a corresponding draft law for the announced self-determination law half a year after the formation of the government. Yet it would be so important to get the changes underway quickly and without delay. The idea of a self-determination law is not new. For decades, the community has been tirelessly drafting corresponding bills. And other countries are far ahead of us – Argentina, Malta, Belgium, New Zealand, among others, respect the fundamental rights and self-determination of trans* people in and through corresponding laws. It’s all there! What else is there to wait for?
Let’s move on from the federal to the state level: we would be much happier if what is written in the law were translated into state law on the one hand and into our everyday lives on the other!
We have done little if a person who, despite all the hurdles, finally has the entry “diverse” in his or her identity card cannot make the required, “truthful” statement when making an appointment for a vaccination – because the corresponding statement option is simply not available when asked about gender. Or when a person who has “diverse” on his or her ID card has to sue the Free State in order to have a state recognition of his or her degree logically not issued in male or female form.
And while we’re on the subject of certificates of poverty, let’s move on to the context of education and equality in Saxony: we have a state action plan for the acceptance of diversity of life forms, which is dedicated to the “creation of freedom from discrimination and improvement of acceptance”. As a measure, it defines – and I quote – : “Educational projects on the topic of sexual and gender diversity are to be a long-term, secure, voluntary and complementary support offer for pupils (…), teachers as well as parents (…) throughout the Free State of Saxony” . At the same time, at the turn of the year, the funding for our longstanding queer education project “Respect begins in the head!” suddenly fell away without replacement after 16 years. The only queer education project in Dresden and East Saxony. In a region where statistically 40% of the population find it disgusting when homosexuals kiss on the street , in a region where right-wing attitudes are particularly prevalent .
The Dresden city council thankfully stepped into the breach: we can now carry out projects in Dresden schools again since May until the end of the year. We have rarely seen so much unity across the factions of the democratic parties, a strong sign for Dresden! And what is happening in East Saxony? Nothing… a fatal development, because instead of making the region more attractive and queer-friendly, the space is left to the spreading right-wing hegemony.
This shows not least what precarious structures we find ourselves in. If the “oh” so important work depends on annual project applications that can be run into the ground at any time with the statement “too little money in the pot”, then something is going wrong – not only in Saxony. Educational and counselling work in the field of sexual and gender diversity needs self-evident, long-term and solid funding. This work cannot and must not be a concession, a so-called voluntary task. It protects life.
Finally, a brief turn to the municipal level: on 10 July, the second round of the election for the mayor will take place. Things are looking quite good for more gender justice and equality in Dresden. We therefore encourage all of you, let’s go and vote! You want to know what the candidates’ position is on gender equality in Dresden? At wahlprüfsteine-gleichstellung-dresden.de you can find the election test stones of the network of Dresden’s gender equality projects.
On the homepage you will soon also find all the information about the current negotiations on the Dresden budget 2023/2024 and here too it probably looks precarious for youth work and gender equality work in Dresden. There is once again talk of “savings” and “cuts”. Together with the campaign “Secure youth work, shape the future”, the currently emerging campaign “We with you, secure equality work” will fight against this. We are looking forward to support!
And it is precisely these networks and common struggles that we are all involved in again and again that give us hope and make us proud of what we have all been able to achieve in recent years. We do it well – every day anew! …and we are a WE, a big, colourful, wonderful WE. We are brave and strong and we keep fighting! Now and also in the future!
“Nuclear family” by Antifa Kollektiv
We all know it: the classic nuclear family. Most of us grew up in it. I grew up in it too. We all know the father who brings in most of the money and who punishes and rewards. We know the mother who is either a housewife or does a part-time job and who also has to be obeyed. And then the children who take orders, who learn from their parents what is right and wrong; for whom parents are the most important point of reference, especially at a young age. In this nuclear family we also learn that this is the only true way to raise children and organise a family.
But behind its appearance of security and safety lies a whole network of authoritarian structures and abuse. It is ultimately the seedbed of fascism.
It is no coincidence that all right-wing parties make the family one of their main themes. On the website of the AfD, the first paragraph on family policy reads:The AfD is committed to the family as the nucleus of our society. The family is also in second place on the NPD’s list of election issues, and even the NSDAP placed particular emphasis on the nuclearfamily, for example by awarding the Mother’s Cross to mothers with a particularly large number of children. It is not by chance that fascists have a family fetish. In the nuclear family, blood ideology is preached. We are taught that those with our blood are more important than anyone outside the family. We have to relate to them and take care of them materially and emotionally. This encouraged the blood ideology of the fascists. Moreover, in the nuclear family we learn from an early age to be obedient to authority and to submit to seemingly natural hierarchies. We are trained by the structure of the nuclear family to be obedient citizens in a state. To be governable.
Apart from that, the nuclear family is also simply a useful tool for the state. It takes care of the state for free. It is quite clear that (mostly the FLINTAs*) take care of the old people in the family and look after the young people. If the families did not do this, care by the state would be impossible and so the state specifically relies on unpaid care work. And of course the nuclear family provides the children the state needs to exist. And that is why rights whisper to us that the family is an important asset that must be protected, that gives us security. But that in itself is not true: according to a United Nations study, in 2017 around 50,000 FLINTAs* were killed by their partners or other family members worldwide. In 2019, child welfare authorities reported that around 55,500 children had been identified as being at risk of harm in the family. This includes physical and psychological violence, neglect and sexual violence. The family is anything but safe; for many of us it means violence and trauma.
But most of us do not fit into the father-mother-child image. If we want to have children, we cannot conform to the monogamous hetero nuclear family, if only because of our gender identity and our sexuality. And we are actively kept out of this concept. Yes, gay and lesbian couples can now marry, but for everyone else marriage is still a long way off. And even if we do get married and get some tax benefits, we all know how hard it is for a queer couple to have their own children or adopt. On all bureaucratic levels, the state prevents us from starting families. We simply don’t fit into the perfect image of the nuclear family in which heterosexuality, cis-being and monogamy are preached over and over again. Of course, we can now complain about it and, after the alleged “marriage for all”, also demand “children for all” or “nuclear family for all”.
But quite honestly: I’m not up for it! I don’t want to conform at all and emulate the normative family concept. If we don’t fit into the ideal of the nuclear family, then let’s just do something else! Not conforming is a chance to develop our own family concepts. Queer family concepts that break out of the fascist nuclear family!
We queers have a long history of alternative family concepts. I’m talking, for example, about the houses of the voguing community that emerged in the trans and gay POC scene in the US in the 60s. Houses are families that were not based on blood relations. They were families of choice with consciously chosen people ; who offered protection from the queer-hostile and violent outside world. Let us revisit this history and be inspired by it.
Let us create families where children are not dependent on a monogamous, romantic relationship between two parents. Let’s create families where children have 3, 4, 5 or even more caregivers. How many families have failed because of the romantic, monogamous relationship of the parents? This does not have to be the case. A family can consist of quite a few adults who are not romantically dependent on each other. Why not raise children with a network of friends? In this way, we can move away from the exclusivity and supremacy of the “biological” parents. Let us form hierarchy critical families. Fascism will have no place in our families! Let us form families that make us ungovernable and shakethe state, because the nuclear family is not a natural construct, it is a belief system. So let us fall away from faith!”
Speech by Waldbesetzung Heibo
Hello!
We are Heibo, a forest occupation near Dresden. Gravel is to be extracted here – from a climatic point of view, it’s pretty crap. In a nutshell: the gravel mining will destroy a moor and thus endanger the groundwater supply of the entire region. And let’s not even start talking about the construction sector for which the gravel is being extracted.
In order for us to continue to live and party on this planet, we have to realise that we cannot continue to destroy the basis of it. We are countering this destruction with an attempt to live well.
We speak today as individuals and not for the whole occupation.
Nevertheless, we live in the occupation with other people with whom we are trying to build a life of solidarity away from capitalist norms.
We think about and try out with each other how all needs can be met. Our goal is to meet our environment as harmlessly as possible and we are not the first to try to live together in solidarity. We join the worldwide struggles for climate justice and show solidarity with all those who are affected and threatened by repression.
We think living together like this is quite queer in a society where people are isolated by heteronormative romantic relationships.
We are tolerant, but these straight people – think of the children. As if almost every day wasn’t a kind of straight pride anyway.
As queers, we don’t want to simply copy the romantic relationships of straight people. Marriage for all is not the long-awaited solution to all our problems.
We are so tired of the romantic relationship of two being glorified while everything else just happens on the side. People often ask things like, “Well, what’s going on romantically with you right now?” For some people it’s clear what’s meant. But then I stand there and start listing all the people who are in the forest right now, who are there for me and for whom I am there, with whom I am spending a lot of time right now, with whom I am cuddling, singing songs, building or roughhousing, and I don’t know where to start or stop.
So we give a big shout-out to platonic love, to love triangles, to friends, to polycules of all kinds, to all those who are happily single, not or grey- romantic love, to romantic love without sex, to sex without romantic love, to communally organised caring relationships. We wouldn’t know how else to survive this shitty capitalism.
To all of you who are now holding your heads up, to those who have been around forever: we say again simply for you. We don’t want to have to be romantic. We don’t want to have to love according to your ideas. We don’t want to have to spend our lives searching for the ideal partner. We reject this absurd urge to optimise! Love doesn’t have to be capitalistic! Instead, we celebrate our chosen family. Although we celebrate, today we also run against a patrichal system that oppresses us. That tries to tell us how to be and attacks us for who we are.
Let’s bare our teeth together. Let’s fight together for a world of solidarity where we take responsibility for each other. Let us fight together for a world where we identify violent structures, oppose them and take responsibility ourselves.
We are happy that we are all together on the streets. Together we fight for self-determination, justice and a good life for all.
Queers who fight are queers who live.
Let’s unhinge the system.
And because fighting also includes celebration, empowerment and our community, we send you lots of strength and solidarity.
And never forget-
Better queer and full of life than uptight and straight!
“Part 3” by kosmotique
Tami Hart!
Queer solo sing-a-song writer who debuted as a teenager on the pro queer and feminist Mr. Lady label – naturally with the three Big L’s of teenage: Loss, Love and Loneliness. Afterwards in several band projects – first bassist in the music and performance collective JD Samson & MEN, then frontwoman of Making Friendz and Teen Vice.
The Slits!
British punk band of the first hour – all! women! Formed in 1976 by teenage girls – pissed off by previous attempts to make music with men, who ended up controlling, taking over and running everything into the ground. One of the most influential and innovative bands of the punk movement. The best part: their sheer inability to compromise or sell themselves on their sex appeal.
Hanin Elias!
Berlin: She ran away from home and founded the anti-fascist electro-punk band Atari Teenage Riot with other teenagers shortly after reunification, inventing digital hardcore along the way. Then founded Fatal Recordings, a digital hardcore label only for female and female-identifying artists in a male-heavy music scene.
Hazel Dickens!
One of the first women to break-through in the male-dominated world of bluegrass music, recording an all-women-album with her partner Alice in 1965. Provoked mainly solo with feminist and union songs and became the voice of the West Virginia coal miners.
Cathy Sisler!
Feminist lesbian performance and video artist, musician, writer in Canada, especially in the 80s and 90s. Themes of her work: Visibility and invisibility of women and queer people in public space, the deviation from normative forms of action, identity and conformity.
Shirley Muldowney!
“First Lady of Drag Racing”, American female auto racer. She was the first woman licensed by the National Hot Rod Association to drive a Top Fuel dragster in 1973. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles.
Urvashi Vaid!
New Delhi-born, US-based lawyer and LGBT activist. Her belief: Society’s institutions must be transformed by the movement. Acceptance is not enough!
Valie Export!
Feminist Artist using the name of a cigarette brand to shed her patriarchal birth and married names. Created some of the wildest feminist artwork in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s, addressing the availability and media access to the female body.
Cathy Opie!
Photographer who portrayed queer subculture in great works, especially in the 90s, and revealed society’s view of queerness in extremely painful self-portraits.
James Baldwin!
One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Powerful and eloquent texts about blackness and homosexuality, long before the social, cultural or political equality of these groups was fought for.
Diane DiMassa!
Feminist artist and writer. Created the cult underground comic Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist in the ’90s about a lesbian feminist named Hothead who makes it her mission to rid the world of male scum.
Aretha Franklin!
The Queen of Soul. Number 1 hit: Respect! R-E-S-P-E-C-T – Find out what it means to me!
Joan Jett!
Music Icon. Sang the most successful version of “I Love Rock’n’Roll,” but only after label after label rejected Joan Jett after the breakup of the Seventies all-girls-teenage band “The Runaways” – because of her androgynous appearance, with her too unfeminine demeanor. More than just an inspiration for the Riot Grrrl movement.
Mia X!
American female rapper and songwriter. She was the first female emcee to be signed to the No Limit Records label in 1994. She is called the mother of Southern Gangsta Rap.
Krystal Wakem!
Maybe just a girlfriend. We, all, need a feminist friend.