On Saturday morning, 15. July, thousands gathered already on the Römerberg, as Mayor Mike Josef and Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg together with representatives of the queer scene raised the rainbow flag on the balcony of City Hall.
Although this year's Christopher Street Day (CSD) is colorful, cheerful and diverse as usual, the participants of the demonstration procession are united by a serious political concern: the fight for sexual diversity, against discrimination and attacks on queer people. Because also in Frankfurt there are still incidents where queer people are hurt, insulted and threatened. "Frankfurt must be a safe and inclusive place for all. We have to work and fight for that. That's why I'm committed to education. The ideology of hate and exclusion starts early. We have to get ahead of it and work for visibility and awareness right from the start", said Mayor Josef.
Mayor Eskandari-Grünberg also assured the community of her political and social support: "Frankfurt now has a Pride Month. For the first time in the history of our city, we have celebrated a month of projects, events, workshops and festivities of the LGBTIQ community, with the CSD as the highlight. This will happen every year from now on. We are establishing a new tradition. A tradition of diversity and humanity. Fear will never triumph. Because Frankfurt is solidary. Frankfurt is diverse. Frankfurt is queer."
What began in 1992 as a street festival in Klingerstraße has since become a fixed date in Frankfurt's event calendar. The four-day mix of party, politics and community gathering attracts thousands, and many institutions, including Frankfurt's city government, participate in the demonstration procession with their own floats. Gwen Iffland, press officer of the organizing association CSD Frankfurt, already draws a positive interim conclusion on July 15, one day before the end of CSD 2023: "116 groups have participated in the demonstration, in the previous year there were only 67 registrations. The massive increase in interest in the demonstration shows us once again that the CSD Frankfurt is not just about a colorful supporting program and partying on the Konstablerwache, but that we still come together out of political interest."
Under the motto "Here & Queer", numerous events, parties and debate contributions on the topic of awareness took place from July 13 to 16 at the Konstablerwache and in downtown Frankfurt. "First and foremost, we demand awareness work - be it at schools, in institutions or even within the police", CSD spokeswoman Iffland summarizes the program. The highlight of the four-day program was the demonstration procession on July 15, which was peaceful and colorful as usual. The political part found its conclusion in a rally at the Konstablerwache at 4 p.m., where again Lord Mayor Josef spoke to the audience.
