withBetween the eleven-story apartment building, supermarket and parking lot, “Colorful World” is located in a blue industrial building. The Queer Cultural Center of Cottbus has existed for eight years. A brightly lit hall is filled with rainbow flags, there are red plush sofas and a bar-a shelter in the middle of a prefabricated building area. As they emphasized, the employees of CSD Cottbus eV renovated the room for three years at their own expense. “For many years, politics has let us down,” Christian Müller said. He is a social worker and the head of the association. On the last Friday of every month, the region’s gay party, five to ten men from Forst, Spremberg and Cottbus will meet here. Today Uwe, Stefan and Michael are here, they are all about 50 years old.
Christian started.It’s about preparing for the upcoming plan Christopher Street Day (CSD). Raising funds for the parade every year is a new challenge. “During the Bundestag election campaign, we were asked again and again. Politicians from Berlin or Potsdam came here, made a promise and left in an hour,” Christian said. “Everyone promises to do something for us and for civil society in the city, but when we ask questions, there is no answer.” For a long time, queer organizations have not had more money. One is tired.
But all four want to vote in the fall, even if it’s just for the rise of the country AfD To prevent this, especially in Lusatia, a huge electoral success was achieved. However, they did not feel any representatives of either side. “Neither the conservatives or the left, the social democrats or the greens-did not let us go forward,” Christian said. CSD has become one of the most important queer activities in East Germany in just a few years, and its success is built on the promise of many non-profit associations. People present when the situation becomes difficult or threatened.
In 2008, the parade passed Cottbus for the first time, with 25 participants. There are more policemen than demonstrators. The low point appeared three years later. The organization was attacked by a bottle of NPD supporters. The man in “Bunter Welt” said that this made the club members more rebellious. The situation has changed a lot in recent years. The city’s approvals are increasing. The demonstrations held in August now attracted more than 500 people, many of whom were from neighboring Poland, Berlin, Dresden, and Lusatia. But the city of Cottbus is working hard to take over the sponsorship of CSD.
In addition to CSD, the support of gay and lesbian youth is also important for men. Michael, who works in the Youth Welfare Office and moved to Cottbus in the 1990s, said that the area actually needs three to six social workers who only deal with queer issues, hold school workshops and support people in need . Stefan, a dental technician from Forst, said that the school is receiving more and more requests for support for educational projects. Once a month, there is also a cross-registration table with more than 20 people attending-the demand for “safe space” is obviously great, especially in rural areas like Lusatia.
Every Tuesday
But even with this topic, men complain about lack of support. “Politicians still don’t think diversity is a cross-cutting task. We are not a minority group that can decorate ourselves for taking pictures.” This’whitewashing’ must stop, Christian said, and requires honest participation in gay issues Politics, “especially in East Germany”.
In preventing young people from leaving, Christian and others saw politics especially in the cockpit. One problem is the lack of suitable places for them. Leftist queer discos like the 90s no longer exist in this city. The move “is not only a cultural and social issue, but also an economic challenge,” Christian said. The other three agreed and added that the federal government must do more for rural areas and areas that are undergoing structural changes.
You already know what contribution you can make in “Bunter Welt”. Soon, the small communities around Cottbus will also hold round tables and provide support services. No one should be isolated, even in the country.
