CSD Leipzig – Who we are and what we want

Where we come from

“CSD” stands for Christopher Street Day. Pride events in Germany are often referred to as CSD. In memory of the Stonewall riots on Christopher Street in New York in 1969, the first Pride took place in Leipzig on June 28, 1992. It was a small but all the more motivated group of people who committed themselves to a clear goal and, in memory of and in the style of the protests of 1969 in New York, now wanted to stand up for equal rights for all ways of loving. It was about recognition, it was about respect. The oldest Pride in East Germany was born.

This idea of respect still motivates volunteers from Leipzig 30 years later to get the Pride together year after year. To this day, a small number of dedicated voluntary private individuals, clubs, initiatives, political parties and groups organize an event week, a street festival and a political demonstration for freedom, acceptance and diversity in the center of Leipzig every year.

What are the stonewall riots?

The historical origin of the global pride movement lies in the 1960s in New York’s Greenwich Village on Christopher Street. At that time, nightclubs frequented mainly by queer* people were frequently raided by the police. On June 28, 1969, trans women of color, drag queens, lesbians and gays began to resist this tyranny at the Stonewall Inn and fought back against arrest and discrimination in street battles that lasted for days.

It was a moment of awakening for emancipation and equality, which led to liberation movements around the world in the years and decades that followed. Fear became courage, hiding became pride.

You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.

Marsha P. Johnson (Stonewall Activist*)

How we work

The Leipzig Pride is a democratic action alliance. We meet every second Wednesday of the month for a plenary session. During these organizational meetings, we discuss content-related positions, choose an annual focus together, choose Pride ambassadors and plan the event week as well as the demonstration and the street festival. The plenum makes all fundamental decisions democratically. The individual tasks are then implemented by several teams.

The plenum and active participation at the Pride is open to all people who share our goals and values.

Fragen oder Anmerkungen? Dann schreib uns!

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