Dear Friends, dear community,
we are here today – visible, loud and proud. We celebrate the diversity of our identities, our love, our stories. But we’re not just celebrating – we’re also fighting. Because visibility is political. And our rights cannot be taken for granted.
We all know about the situation on queer rights around the world. We read it in the news and have already heard it today… hostility against queers is on the rise again – on the streets, online, in parliaments. Anti-trans campaigns, right-wing hate speech, violence against our selves and loved ones – this is everyday life for some of us. In 2024 alone, hundreds of anti-queer attacks were documented in Germany – and the trend is rising. And these are just the reported cases.
But that is exactly why it is so important that we are here today – together, visibly, loud. And we must not forget to celebrate. Because Pride is also a celebration. A celebration of love, diversity and resistance. It is incredibly beautiful to see how colorful, creative, resistant and loving queer life is. We celebrate ourselves – our struggles, our communities, our unbridled joy of life. And that’s not trivial – it’s revolutionary.
And one thing is clear: our community is not only resistant – it’s also pretty on fire.
We are the butches with attitude, the transfemmes with glitter and political punch, the gays and theys, the queer crips and neurodiverse queens with fire and spark! But we’re always more than lables – we’re always breaking out of the box. Open, queer and full of life!
And we will continue to be here and make our demands! We demand safer spaces, visibility and laws that don’t exclude us, but strengthen us. And yes – we also demand resources: for queer counseling services, for educational work, for safe spaces that we as Gerede e.V. are trying to create. But which also thrive on so much voluntary commitment! See what we can get up and running if we join forces: Info events, demonstrations, parties, places where queers feel welcome and where we listen to each other. None of this would exist without you, without organizations like Queerpride and the many people who put their heart and soul into it.
And our struggles don’t stop at the borders of this city.
Whether in Dresden, Bautzen, Zwickau, Zittau, Görlitz, Freiberg or Döbeln –
Queer life is everywhere, and it needs protection, visibility and support.
So grab your friends and families and come with us to the countryside and let spread the word:
We will not be divided. Not by right-wing voices, not by anti trans debates, not by social coldness. Because Pride was never just a party – Pride was protest. And it will remain so as long as our bodies, our identities and our love are turned into a political problem.
We are many. We are loud. And we are not alone. Let’s keep fighting – with pride, with love and with anger. Happy Pride!