Demands

The pride movement in Leipzig is political!

1. The CSD Leipzig demands that every individual must be able to move freely and safely in Leipzig and elsewhere. No one should have to fear physical, psychological or verbal abuse from the state or society!

“Human dignity is inviolable!” (art. 1 GG)

“All persons are equal before the law!” (art. 3 GG)

Every person has the right to the free development of their personality, provided that they do not infringe the rights of others. Everyone has the right to life and physical integrity. The freedom of the person is inviolable.” (art. 2 GG)

This is stipulated in the Grundgesetz (German constitution), but reality often still looks very different. People are still attacked and marginalised for their identity or orientation. The number of crimes perpetrated against queer+ people in Germany in the first half of 2017 was 30% higher than in the same period of the previous year. (Official document 18/13255) Homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexuality and intersexuality are still considered to be atypical and abnormal forms of desire and are censured.

2. The CSD Leipzig demands that the characteristic of sexual orientation be added to article 3 paragraph 3 (1) of the GG!

Article 3 paragraph 3 (1) of the GG currently reads: “No person shall be favoured or disfavoured because of their gender, parentage, race, language, homeland, origin, faith or religious or political opinions.”

The criterion of “sexual orientation” must be added to this list to clarify the special interest of the state in protecting non-heterosexual forms of love. As we understand it, protection of gender identity (both binary and non-binary) is already encompassed by the criterion “because of their gender”.

With reference to the criterion of “race,” we call for a discourse throughout society as to whether this term could be completely removed from the list stated in article 3 of the GG. Alternatively, how could article 3 of the GG be reworded to preserve the important basic idea of protection against racism in this basic law? The viewpoint of PoC advocacy groups must be pivotal in this debate as they are particularly affected by racism.

3. The CSD Leipzig demands that people must not be oppressed, disadvantaged or prejudged according to stereotypes on the basis of their sex or gender!

Far too often, people are still treated differently by the populace on the basis of their gender and prejudged according to stereotypes. This problem is particularly evident in the professional sports sector. The example of women’s soccer clearly shows that women’s sporting achievements are considered to be of less interest and receive less support. In contrast, men are assumed to be strong in all areas. A sensitive and emotional nature is denied in public or judged to be a weakness. The devaluation and prejudiced or sexual objectification of people is incompatible with an equal and enlightened society. We reject sexism in any form or fashion.

4. The CSD Leipzig demands an end to nationalism, racism, antisemitism, sexism and hatred towards queer people!

For this reason, we oppose the current shift to the right observed in society. This shift to the right is engendered by political parties like the AfD or The Third Path. On the street, it is reflected in demonstrations such as those of PEGIDA and the Identitarian movement and in protests against refugee accommodation. Magazines like the conspiracist Compact magazine or those issued by the Antaios publishing house further fuel right-wing ideologies. In doing so, they deliberately spread lies and half-truths that others are happy to pick up and pass on. But the tone is also becoming nastier in mainstream society and right-wing populists are increasingly being offered a platform. Unfortunately, this also applies to our community. We want to oppose this trend wherever it occurs. CSD Leipzig stands for liberal and democratic principles and a free society in which all people can live freely regardless of their skin colour, religion, gender or sexual identity.

5. The CSD Leipzig demands a change in the law under which hate crimes against queer* people will be prosecuted as such!

Section 46 (2) of the German Criminal Code states: “When sentencing, the court shall weigh the circumstances in favour of and against the offender. Consideration shall in particular be given to the motives and aims of the offender, especially racist, xenophobic or other inhuman motives […]”

These motives and aims of the perpetrator are decisive for setting the level of penalty. The phrase “other inhuman motives” diminishes homophobic, biphobic, transphobic and/or interphobic acts of abuse to invisibility. We demand that the law be amended with the addition of “[…], homophobic, biphobic, transphobic, interphobic or other inhuman motives […]” so that violence against queer* people is addressed and legally prosecuted as such.

6. The CSD Leipzig demands that criminal prosecution and law enforcement agencies must be sensitised to queer* needs and that contact person roles be created!

Queer* people can be both victims and perpetrators of crimes. This makes it important that criminal prosecution and law enforcement agencies (i.e. police, prosecutors, courts and correctional facilities) are sensitised to queer* issues. Hate crimes, for example, must be recognised from the perspective of those affected and punished as such.

Contact persons sensitised specifically for queer* issues must be appointed in the respective authorities to reduce prejudices on the part of queer* victims towards law enforcement agencies. Regular training and continuing education on non-discriminatory treatment of queer* persons must be provided.

Queer* offenders must have a right to be housed according to their gender identity in the designated correctional facility.

Hate crime must be included in the statistical surveys of the Saxon State Office of Criminal Investigation and their evaluations (police status reports).

7.  The CSD Leipzig demands that the current decision-making practice applied during asylum procedures of queer* persons be changed, and current national and European legal conditions upheld. Countries that criminalise queer* people must not be declared “safe countries of origin”!

Queer* people are prosecuted under criminal law in about 72 countries across the world and subjected to torture and murder. Trans+ people in particular are monstrously abused in many countries. In January 2019, the German Bundestag reclassified Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia as safe countries of origin. This is extremely problematic as societal discrimination against queer* people is rampant in these states. According to art. 16a of the GG, persons may apply for asylum if they are persecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees decides whether to grant the individual asylum based on a personal interview and a thorough examination of documents and evidence. Frequently, proof of sexual orientation is required to obtain a right of residence or right to remain. This leads to unjustified decisions being made as it is virtually impossible to prove a person’s sexual orientation.

8. The CSD Leipzig demands that Germany works to ensure that all member states of the European Union respect and protect queer rights!

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU) enshrines universal human rights and commits EU states to uphold these rights. Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation.

Nevertheless, in a representative survey conducted in 2019 by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), 43% of LGBT people surveyed said they felt discriminated against (up from 37% in 2012).

We see an urgent need for action here. It is true that the Charter of Fundamental Rights does not apply directly to citizens of the EU unless there is a European connection in the individual case. However, the bodies of the EU should and can work to ensure that queer* rights are respected and defended in the member states and that appropriate measures are enacted.

The EU must not stand idly by while queer* rights are trampled underfoot, such as by the LGBTIQ*-free zones created in Poland or the homophobic/transphobic constitutional amendments enacted in Hungary.

If the EU defines itself as a community of values and determines the protection of queer* rights as a guiding maxim in its fundamental treaties, then it cannot remain silent when member states break these rules.

For this reason, we welcome the initiative of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to develop a strategy for LGBTIQ equality in the EU. We hope that it can be quickly and, above all, consistently implemented.

As one of the most influential members of the EU, the Federal Republic of Germany must support and promote this project of the EU Commission and also use all diplomatic opportunities to influence other member states.

Sources (German):

https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2020-11/lgbt-rechte-ungarn-verfassungsaenderung-homosexualitaet-trans-feindlich-regierung?utm_referrer=

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/de/ip_20_2068

https://www.treffpunkteuropa.de/zur-lage-der-lqtbiq-rechte-in-der-eu?lang=en

9. The CSD Leipzig demands a legal ban on unnecessary medical interventions performed on intersex children. We demand comprehensive education about and social recognition of intersexuality as a variant of gender. We also demand the universal abolition of the gender entry in the civil registry!

When a child is born with physical characteristics of both sexes or with an ambiguous gender, specialists refer to this as intersexuality. Medical professionals then decide which gender to assign to the child. What happens to the child if doctors are wrong?

Even today, intersex children are assigned a gender in their infancy by being subjected to “cosmetic” surgeries (e.g. castration, clitoral reduction, creation of a neovagina) that often result in infertility. Sterilisation against the will of the person concerned is prohibited in Germany and neither parents nor the child themself can consent to such sterilisation (para. 1631 of the German Civil Code (BGB)). But consent is not restricted if the intervention is defined as a curative treatment because intersexuality is classified as a “sexual differentiation disorder”. Many of those affected describe this in retrospect as being extremely traumatising. We therefore call for an end to this practice.

But why does a gender need to be assigned at all? Para. 21 (1) of the German Law on Civil Status specifies that the gender of a child must be entered in the birth certificate. Due to a change in the law, the gender designation of an intersex child may be entered as “diverse” or left blank by way of exception (para. 22 (3) of the German Law on Civil Status). The state recognition of intersexuality as a form of gender is indeed an achievement of the queer* movement. However, registering them as “diverse” forces intersex individuals to out themselves unnecessarily and repeatedly when dealing with state institutions.

The reason why the state needs to know the gender of its citizens is obsolete. Nowadays, a person’s gender is irrelevant to the state. Compulsory military service for men has been suspended and would represent an unconstitutional violation of article 3 of the Basic Law (GG) if reinstated exclusively for persons of the male sex. There are no other reasons for recording gender, so this archaic regulation can safely be abolished.

10. The CSD Leipzig demands the abolition of the Transsexual Law. We demand that a new law be drawn up that recognises gender identity and protects self-determination of gender!

According to the Transsexual Law (TSG), trans* people in Germany must be appraised by two independent experts before they can legally change their name and/or civil status. This cost-intensive forced assessment is fiercely criticised. Many experience it as being very unpleasant, extremely stressful and degrading. This is because it forces them to disclose their most intimate emotional worlds from traumatic experiences to personal sexual behaviour. For many trans* people, changing their first name and civil status is hugely important. They need to do this to enter training courses with the correct name from the outset or have certificates issued in the correct name. They need it to find work or housing without hindrance. They need it to prevent having to constantly out themselves against their will. This can occur during interactions with postal workers when picking up packages, with train conductors, with employees of hotlines and public offices, when paying with credit cards, when visiting a doctor’s office or on any other occasion when documentation in their name is requested.

11. The CSD Leipzig stands for queer*-inclusive medicine.

Health care for queer* people in Germany and especially in Saxony is patchy and rife with obstacles. Sexual orientations and gender identities are barely discussed during medical education and training or are merely presented as anomalies or as mental disorders. For example, some therapists still try to cure queer* people with so-called conversion therapy. Queer* people also have specific medical needs that are still woefully far from being met. For example, there is still no standardisation of or qualification for transgender surgery and medicine and no long-term studies have been conducted on the effects of hormone therapies.

12. The CSD Leipzig demands equal treatment with regard to blood donation!

For many years, blood donation centres have regularly reported that too little blood is donated in Germany. Rare blood groups in particular are in short supply. Nevertheless, the German Medical Association’s guideline on the collection of blood and blood components and the use of blood products (hemotherapy guideline) restricts certain population groups or temporarily defers their approval to donate blood. 

While the policy was loosened in the autumn of 2021, it still contains discriminatory elements.

For many years, blood donation centres have regularly reported that too little blood is donated in Germany. Rare blood groups in particular are in short supply. Nevertheless, the German Medical Association’s guideline on the collection of blood and blood components and the use of blood products (hemotherapy guideline) restricts certain population groups or temporarily defers their approval to donate blood.  While the policy was loosened in the autumn of 2021, it still contains discriminatory elements.

Individuals with sexual behaviour that poses a significantly increased risk of transmission of serious blood-borne infectious diseases compared with the general population are temporarily deferred from donation for 4 months:

  • Sexual intercourse between a woman and a man with frequently changing partners
  • Sexual intercourse of a transgender person with frequently changing partners
  • Sexual intercourse between men (MSM) with a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner
  • Sex work
  • Sexual intercourse with a person with any of the above behaviours
  • Sexual intercourse with a person infected with HBV, HCV, or HIV

This regulation means that men who have sex with men (MSM) are more restricted in their ability to donate blood than heterosexual people unless they abstain from new sexual contact with other men or with multiple men (also applies to polyamorous relationships) for 4 months. For heterosexual singles, on the other hand, this regulation only applies if they change partners frequently. However, “change frequently” is not defined more closely, unlike MSM.

Furthermore, this regulation also excludes people engaged in sex work from the opportunity to donate blood. This is a blanket exclusion regardless of the type of sex work or the individual risk.

Instead of assigning a blanket statement of riskier sexual behaviour to homosexual men, bisexual men and sex workers, the German Medical Association should make provisions for the possibility of donating blood solely on the basis of the donor’s individual risk behaviour, regardless of their sexual orientation or stigmatising imputations.

In addition, people who have sex with people with HIV are excluded from donating blood. No differentiation is made despite the fact that people with HIV who are treated with antiretroviral therapy and are below the limit of detection cannot pass on HIV.

It is hard to understand why trans* people are listed separately in point 2.2.4.3.2.2 although the only regulation that applies to them is “frequently changing” sexual partners, a distinction that is also discriminatory.

Sources (German):

https://www.bundesaerztekammer.de/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/pdf-Ordner/RL/ RiliH_Lese.pdf

https://www.aidshilfe.de/diskriminierung-schwulen-bisexuellen-maennern-blutspende

https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=36332

https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/panorama/blutkonserven-werden-knapp-blutspende-coronakrise-100.html

https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=37744

https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=35840

https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=36078 

https://www.aidshilfe.de/schutz-therapie

13. The CSD Leipzig demands a complete ban on conversion “therapies”!

Conversion “therapies” are used to supposedly cure homosexuality and transgender or intersex identities. We reject the term “therapy” for this form of treatment as it implies that there is something present that requires therapy. However, homosexuality, transsexuality and intersexuality are not diseases that need to be cured. On the contrary, these treatments cause massive mental and physical suffering.

We therefore welcome the Act to Protect against Conversion Treatments (KonvBehSchG) of 12/06/2020 and in particular the ban on advertising for such treatments. However, the implementation ban contained does not go far enough for us.

Paragraph 2 of the KonvBehSchG prohibits conversion treatment of persons under the age of 18 and treatment of “persons who have reached the age of 18 but whose consent to conversion treatment is based on a lack of will” (para. 2 (2) of the KonvBehSchG).

This wording continues to facilitate the circumvention of the ban through small print, deception etc. Moreover, young adults between the ages of 18 and 27 also require special protection from such “therapies” in addition to adolescents and minors. This is because the legal age of majority does not necessarily coincide with full personal maturity and stability. This group of people is particularly susceptible to supposed promises of treatment.

Para. 5 of the KonvBehSchG stipulates a prison sentence of up to one year as a punishment for carrying out conversion treatments despite the ban. Parents can also be liable to prosecution. Paragraph 2 states that the criminal provision “shall not apply to any person acting as a caregiver or guardian unless by the act they grossly violate their duty of care or education”. In our eyes, any caregiver or guardian grossly violates their duty of care or education if they subject a person to “therapy” of this kind.

It is our conviction that barbaric conversion therapies or treatments must be completely forbidden without exception.

Source: Bundesgesetzblatt 2020, p. 1285 et seq.

14. The CSD Leipzig demands free tests for sexually transmitted infections (STI) for everyone in Germany at least once a year!

In recent years, there has been a slight decline in the number of first-time HIV diagnoses in Germany. Infections with other sexually transmitted infections, however, are on the rise. In addition to protected sex using condoms or femidoms, low-threshold opportunities for testing are also important for containing the spread of STIs.

The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) has been publishing poster campaigns on sexually transmitted infections (STI) for several years. The posters explicitly state that condoms should be used to reduce the risk of contracting an STI and that a doctor should be consulted if symptoms indicate an STI (https://www.bzga.de/infomaterialien/hivsti-praevention/ liebesleben-kampagne/liebesleben-plakate/)

If a person develops symptoms, there is a clear indication for professional testing and the health insurance companies cover the cost. It is common for enlightened doctors’ surgeries to take down a detailed sexual history. Using these details (such as sexual practices and number of sexual partners), the physician will determine which screening procedures for specific STIs are appropriate in order to detect and treat asymptomatic STIs. Health insurance companies also cover the costs incurred in these cases.

However, many STIs are asymptomatic or have barely any symptoms. Health insurers may refuse to cover costs as they see no justification for screening and treatment. The same applies to routine tests for people who have multiple sexual partners a year and have no symptoms. If the health insurance companies do not cover these costs, the patient themself must bear the cost.

Recommendations on who should be tested for STIs and how often are published by the German STI Society (https://dstig.de/images/DSTIG-Flyer/ Leitfaden/sti%20leitfaden_2.auflage_2014.pdf; https://www.aidshilfe.de/shop/infomappe-furberatung-aidshilfen).

Health authority counselling centres for AIDS and STIs mainly offer anonymous HIV laboratory tests or screenings for other STIs to men who have sex with men (MSM), and to sex workers.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic showed the flaw in this system. As all local health department personnel were engaged in responding to the pandemic, STI testing facilities were shut down completely for months without replacement.

Although many Aidshilfe locations and checkpoints in Germany (www.aidshilfe.de/adressen) also offered anonymous HIV tests or tests for other STIs, they were unable to meet demand.

Thus, people who wanted to be tested for STIs were left with the sole option of testing conducted by a doctor or laboratory. These tests are not anonymous and are not covered by health insurance in the combinations described, so people may not get tested for fear of the cost.

Therefore, we demand that all people in Germany must have access to at least one annual screening for sexually transmitted infections in addition to any existing services offered by the public health authorities. This screening must be covered by the health insurance funds (both public and private health insurance).

15. The CSD Leipzig demands the end of discrimination against and stigmatisation of people with HIV!

Today, people with HIV have a normal life expectancy and a good quality of life. They have access to highly effective antiretroviral therapy that prevents AIDS from developing so that no one has to die from the consequences of an untreated HIV infection. Effective HIV therapy also protects their sexual partners from HIV infection, meaning that people with HIV do not pass it on during sex without a condom. People with HIV can also conceive children naturally as healthy children can be mothered or fathered by people undergoing HIV therapy.

In addition to using condoms, you can protect yourself from HIV infection through therapy and by taking medication to prevent the risk of HIV (PrEP). These extraordinary medical developments have turned a deadly threat into a very treatable chronic infection.

In spite of this, the recent study Positive Stimmen 2.0 (positive voices 2.0) conducted by German AIDS Service Organization (DAH) showed that people with HIV are still discriminated against and excluded in this day and age. They are discriminated against by, for example, potential (sexual) partners, at work, when visiting doctors and in the personal sphere. The reasons for this are manifold and are often based on misinformation and prejudice.

One current example is the completely incomprehensible exclusion of people with HIV from the police service of Saxony. According to a minor inquiry put to the Saxon state parliament in April 2022 (official document no. 7/9350), applicants with HIV are not eligible to serve on the police force.

Stigmatisation due to HIV infection mainly affects men who have sex with men (MSM), but also drug users, people engaged in sex work and refugees. Stigmatisation also occurs within the queer* scene. For instance, people with HIV are assumed to be careless or irresponsible. But we can only assume responsibility for ourselves. Everybody participating in sex has a responsibility, not only people with HIV.

Discrimination and stigmatisation lead to an above-average incidence of mental illness among people with HIV. In addition, fear of exclusion prevents people from getting tested for HIV.

The CSD Leipzig is therefore dedicated to providing comprehensive education concerning safer sex, realistic images of life with HIV and how it has changed over the last 20 years, and to engaging in anti-discrimination work on this issue.

https://www.aidshilfe.de/

https://hiv-diskriminierung.de/

https://hiv-diskriminierung.de/positive-stimmen-20

https://www.aidshilfe.de/meldung/studie-diskriminierung-macht-vielen-menschen-hiv-leben-schwer

16. The CSD Leipzig demands that asexuality is recognised as an equal sexual orientation alongside other queer* and heterosexual orientations. We demand that it is given social visibility and political representation of interests!

Asexuality is a form of sexual orientation and describes people who have little or no sexual attraction to other people. In our highly sexualised society, people who feel little or no sexual desire and who are perfectly happy with this circumstance are quickly judged as being abnormal or are overlooked to the point of invisibility. The majority of society holds the view that every person must have sex and people who deviate from this are seen as being deficient or not to be taken seriously.

17. The Leipzig Pride demands more lesbian visibility!

Over the years, there should have been an increasing lesbian presence due to the fact that multiple generations can now openly express themselves in our more tolerant society. When homosexuals are discussed, lesbians are merely “included” because gay men often dominate images and topics. The queer* community also reflects the trends of wider society. Like all other women, lesbian women continue to have to fight for separate consideration, linguistic significance and political relevance. CSD Leipzig aims to give the lesbian lifestyle a more public face.

18. The CSD Leipzig demands the equal recognition of bisexuality/pansexuality alongside other sexual and romantic orientations and advocates for the exposure of specific discrimination against bisexual/pansexual people!

“It’s just a phase”, “You’re too scared to REALLY come out”, “Never (sleep) with a bisexual” – Bisexual people are exposed to specific prejudices and discriminations exercised both by wider society and the queer* community itself.

A further problem faced by bisexual people is their invisibility. The sexual orientation of bisexual individuals is always perceived depending on the gender of their current partner. This external judgement results in a constant pressure to justify oneself, among other things. Figures show that these manufactured exclusions lead to bisexuals/pansexuals having higher rates of depression and suicide than homosexuals.

We therefore call for public outreach and education programmes that aim to create visibility for real bisexual/pansexual lives and reflect on the prejudices faced by these individuals. In addition, we challenge the community itself to discuss and discard such exclusionary behaviour.

19. The CSD Leipzig supports the concerns of people with disabilities and therefore demands that the city should be accessible for all.

Many people with disabilities are restricted in their self-determination and lifestyle by various obstacles and a lack of social opportunities. This can affect people of any sexuality or gender identity, meaning those concerned can face multiple discriminations even within the queer community. Since these barriers are avoidable and can be changed, CSD Leipzig demands the improvement of accessibility for these people, especially by the city of Leipzig. We believe this can serve as a positive example, e.g. by designing accessible public transport stops and an extensive guide system for the visually impaired so that people with disabilities can reach us and participate in CSD.

20. The CSD Leipzig demands that people must be able to live their lives across the whole range of sexual identities free of discrimination even in old age. Gender identities and sexual orientations must be a topic of discussion in the care sector!

Older queer* people belong to a particularly vulnerable group because they have lived through times when they were exposed to far more oppressive social conditions than we are used to today. This often had the effect that many never dared to come out or had to lead a double life for a long time, sometimes forever. For those who did dare to come out, rejection by their family of origin and friends and/or the loss of a job, criminalisation and resulting social isolation were not uncommon. The result was that many of the elderly queer* community today live in seclusion. If they are ever in need of care, they have serious concerns and fears of being discriminated against by other residents of care facilities and by care workers (mobile or stationary). These concerns are quite justified, because it must be taken into account that sexuality and especially sexual orientations and/or gender identities are rarely if ever topics of discussion in geriatric care and are therefore completely overlooked.

21. The CSD Leipzig supports diverse ways of life and different kinds of families and demands their legal and social recognition as well as respectful treatment.

We must question and transcend black-and-white thinking. Our goal should be equality and equal rights for all ways of life and forms of family and gender. This objective will not be achieved just by making marriage available to all. Rather, it is about recognising other family situations and creating a legal status that is open to all people, such as multi-parent families for example. In addition, we stand for the abolition of tax splitting for married couples and the introduction of a family tax splitting scheme. This is because families are formed by people taking responsibility for children and for each other, rather than marital status, and this must be supported.

22. The CSD Leipzig demands scientifically based education in gender and sexuality subjects for all relevant professions at Saxon universities, colleges and vocational schools!

Ignorance and prejudice against queer* people represent a major driving force for discrimination and even violent crime. This can only change through comprehensive awareness, education and anti-discrimination work. The range of topics regarding sexual identity receives barely any attention in the fields of research and education. Students at Saxon universities do not have access to modern, enlightened and socially-oriented sexual education but it is represented in the curricula of Saxon schools and in preschool education. This contradiction leads to a lack of sex education in the classroom. Gender diversity should be embedded in the training of all educational, teaching, socio-educational, therapeutic and medical professions.

23. The CSD Leipzig calls on the supreme school supervisory authority, the Saxon Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, to exercise its academic supervision duties and monitor the fulfilment of tasks incumbent on the school board. We also ask them to review the orientation framework for family and sex education in Saxon schools.

Since August 2016, the orientation framework has prescribed interdisciplinary teaching of family and sexual education as an educational task, among other things. When addressing gender, it is directly pointed out that children and adolescents exist who physically and psychologically cannot be assigned to the traditional categories of male and female or who cannot assign themselves to a single gender.

Classes are designed not only to discuss scientific issues, but to ensure that a wide range of ethical, social, and cultural issues are addressed. This is required to be done in general education schools and in the disciplines of ethics, Protestant/Catholic religion, German, history, social studies/legal education/economics and economic, technical and social affairs. However, queer* identities are practically non-existent in Saxon schools. In history lessons, victims of national socialism forced to wear pink triangles and black triangles are left out of discussions of the Nazis. In German classes, the sexual orientation of authors is not mentioned, even if it influenced their work.

The exclusion of queer* topics from the school curriculum perpetuates a one-sided heteronormative image of society and misses the opportunity to counteract prejudices at an early stage.

24. The CSD Leipzig focuses on clear information and education pursuant to a self-determined life.

Some groups, such as Besorgte Eltern (concerned parents), Marsch für das Leben (march for life) or evangelical free churches, like to use the phrase “promoting homosexuality” to refer to the practice of providing information on sexual orientation. They condemn sex education as the premature sexualisation of children and sue doctors for allegedly advertising abortions (para. 219 (a) of the StGB) because they provide information about abortions on their websites. This is deliberate obstruction of knowledge that could help people to make self-determined decisions. We call on the Federal government to set an example and to delete para. 219 (a) of the StGB without replacement (para. 219 (a) of the StGB was enacted in 1933 under the rule of the national socialists).

25. The CSD Leipzig demands that people must not discriminated against for their sexual behaviour (type, manner or frequency)!

The sexual behaviour of every single person as part of their social behaviour is different. So there is not a single type of sexual behaviour. People can make a conscious choice in the range between total sexual abstinence and continual sexual activity. People who have sex frequently or with many changing partners are often devalued. Likewise, people who live out fetish inclinations are called perverts and people who live in polyamorous relationships are assumed to be only interested in sex. The sexual practices of homosexual men are also assumed to be perverted while lesbians are not considered to actually have “real sex.”

Our demand is therefore clear and unambiguous: this has to stop. Every person should focus on themself and their own life and be at peace with themself. After all, only one thing counts: being content and happy.

We assume that the sexual behaviours mentioned here take place with the mutual consent of all sexual partners.

26. The CSD Leipzig demands more tolerance and respect within the queer* community!

While the CSD focusses on demands that affect society as a whole, we should not forget that we are also part of this society. Exclusion and intolerance are everyday problems even within the queer* community. Sexism, racism, class discrimination, transphobia, discrimination based on visual appearance, age and many other characteristics are unfortunately ubiquitous even in our community. The Stonewall Uprising in 1969 launched a movement in which queer* people took to the streets as a cohesive group to stand up for their collective rights. In keeping with this spirit, we should remember the fact that our community is diverse and sensitise ourselves to the fact that cohesion within the community is equally as important as the acceptance we demand from the outside. Only together can we be strong! Therefore, the CSD will once again concentrate on prioritising these values and calls for more respect and acceptance when dealing with one another.

27. The CSD Leipzig demands the destigmatisation of sex work!

Sex workers are still stigmatised and discriminated against in our society due to their occupations. Every day they experience exclusion and unequal treatment and are exposed to hatred, violence and state repression. Queer* sex workers in particular are affected by multiple forms of discrimination.

The Prostitutes Protection Act has failed to achieve its purpose since being introduced. It does not protect sex workers, but has instead only imposed new obligations on them. This is typical of a law that was not developed in collaboration with the target audience. In public debates, sex workers are also repeatedly denied autonomy over their own lives. They are not trusted to be able to handle their sexuality in a self-determined way, which is an inseparable part of their work. This paternalism must end. Discrimination by the state and society are the greatest obstacles preventing sex workers from living and working in dignity.

Sex work is a broad and varied field of work that cannot be generalised. For some, being accepted and desired with one’s own sexuality or identity is an expression of self-determination and autonomy. This experience is not yet taken for granted in our society. CSD Leipzig believes that sex work is real work and is unequivocally against a ban on selling sex. We also unreservedly condemn forced prostitution and human trafficking. We demand equal rights and social participation for sex workers to empower and protect them.

28. The CSD Leipzig demands that the problems named here are understood to be problems affecting the whole of society!

Exclusionary and discriminatory behaviour are not the problems of certain individuals or social subgroups. It is found in every social setting and occurs throughout society. Furthermore, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and interphobia cannot be understood and certainly cannot be changed if they are examined in isolation from other inequalities. We denounce outdated power structures such as those expressed by sexism, racism, class discrimination, discrimination based on appearance and hostility towards people with disabilities. We also examine ourselves critically and recognise the hostilities within our community. Even people who identify as queer* and thus are members of the LGBTTIQA+ community are not protected against negative attitudes from within the community. Emancipation of one group cannot and must not take place at the expense of others. Diversity is an opportunity for all.

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