News from the community

From now on gender-neutral toy advertising in Spain?! Especially during the Christmas season, parents and children are confronted with a wide variety of toy advertisements on television. There are often cool and heroic action figures for boys and pretty dolls for girls. The advertising here is designed for a clear target group. But this kind of stereotyping is now to come to an end, at least in Spain. The government's aim is to avoid prejudices surrounding terms such as "typical boy" or "typical girl". Instead, everyone should be able to decide what he or she likes and doesn't like, regardless of gender. The umbrella organization of toy manufacturers is also on board The Spanish toy industry has been presented with individual rules by the government. This is to ensure that toy advertising is free of stereotypes in the future. The special feature: This is not (!) an obligation. Rather ...

Blessing services for queer people continue Next week, queer people in Germany will once again have the opportunity to participate in a blessing service. Some deputies of the Catholic Church are now giving same-sex couples the chance to be blessed again as part of this special day. The "big event" is to take place either exactly on May 10, 2022, or shortly before or after. The exact date will be decided by the respective parish. Those who are interested in participating should inform themselves accordingly in good time. The Vatican is still not very enthusiastic Already last year, a Catholic blessing service for queer people was celebrated in Germany. Interestingly, however, actions like this are forbidden according to the Vatican. According to him, it is only allowed to have sex within a marriage between a man and a woman. However, this is not a traditional v...

Parties plan to extend deadline around applications for compensation on § 175 StGB Homosexual men continued to be discriminated against in Germany after the end of the war in 1945. This kind of exclusion did not only come from society. Rather, there were also laws that massively impaired the rights of homosexual people. These included, above all, § 175 of the STGB, which was relevant until the year 1994. This paragraph stated that sexual acts between two men were punishable. For some time now, people who have experienced discrimination in this context have had the opportunity to apply for compensation. The problem: The deadline by which the relevant documents should be submitted would actually expire on July 22, 2022. However, the traffic light coalition is now planning to extend said deadline. What is the argument for extending the deadline around compensation for Section 175 of the STGB? In the party...

2021: Significant decline in same-sex marriages compared with previous years Every year in Germany, a new count is made of how many couples have said "yes" to each other. The year 2021 is particularly interesting in this context. Marriages between same-sex couples fell by 0.3 percent compared to the previous year. But heterosexual couples also married significantly less frequently in 2021. But what caused the decline and does the pandemic have anything to do with it? A look at the statistics of the Federal Office If you take a look at the statistics of the Federal Office in Wiesbaden, you will quickly see that the year 2021 represented a certain "caesura" in terms of marriage. Rarely did so few couples give each other the yes-word. Strictly speaking, around 349,000 heterosexual and 8,700 homosexual couples married in the year in question. In percentage terms, same-sex marriages thus account for around 2.4% of all marriages. The (sorry...

The British capital is getting a museum all about queerness London has a lot to offer for culture enthusiasts and people hungry for knowledge. The numerous sights, the history and the many museums attract thousands of visitors to the English metropolis again and again. But the city is also one of the most queer-friendly places in the world... and therefore it is only logical that London is now hosting a museum for queer people. Among other things, the house will address the unique challenges the community faces every day. The museum is scheduled to open in Granary Square in King's Cross on May 5, 2022. The "Queer Britain" museum in detail The new museum will be called "Queer Britain" and will educate about the LGBTQI+ community. The individual facets of this colorful community will be explored in more detail, giving visitors a little more understanding of the queer lifestyle. Tolerance and education play ...

Münster celebrates anniversary of first gay demonstration On April 29, 1972, homosexual Germans took to the streets for the first time to demonstrate for their rights. The group of demonstrators included not only quite a few gay men. Numerous lesbian women were also part of the party back then. This special event is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. A great occasion to look back. Since those demonstrations, the homosexual movement in Germany has been able to make a difference. Queers have been given more rights in many areas. However, there is undoubtedly still a lot to do. This is exactly what the many activists know, among others, who work every day anew for more equality and tolerance. The demonstration 50 years ago Perhaps few would have expected that a city like Münster, which enjoys a rather conservative reputation, would be the scene of the first demonstration for...

Lil Nas X comes on big tour - two concerts planned in Germany Rapper Lil Nas X, who has often commented on his homosexuality, will begin his big world tour in September 2022. From November, some concerts in Europe are then also scheduled. In Germany, two concerts are planned in Berlin and Hamburg. The "Long Live Montero" tour: fans are looking forward to it The world tour will run under the name "Long Live Montero". It is the first tour of this magnitude for the rapper. In addition to Germany, appearances are also planned in Switzerland, Austria, Amsterdam and Paris. On his Twitter account, he invites everyone to attend his concert, otherwise he says he will be forced to start a livestream on Instagram in which he cries. The artist is known for his humor and sarcasm. Accordingly, his fans certainly know how to classify this statement. https://www.youtube.com/wa...

EU imposes sanctions on Hungary, sending a message to the queer community Hungary and its political leader Viktor Orbán are now threatened with the reduction of financial support from the EU. The reason given for this is the anti-queer policy that the re-elected president is pursuing in his country. In the last time Hungary provided for negative headlines. Again and again it was criticized, also by the EU, that many queers there are exposed to discrimination and intolerance. Not only the thinking of the people, but also the legislation in the country plays an important role in this context. For example, homosexual couples in Hungary are prohibited from adopting children. Content around LGBTQI+ has also been removed from the school curriculum. It almost seems as if the goal is to exclude the topic in order to be able to ignore it as best as possible. Such exclusion is not in the interest of the EU and therefore must be...

Norwegian handball player Ola Hoftun Lillelien comes out as homosexual Even in today's comparatively open society, outings from the male sports world often come across as "special." Some fans react with indignation, but most with tolerance and understanding. Now, handball player Ola Hoftun Lillelien is another male athlete who has come out as homosexual. He, too, is likely to have given a lot of thought to how people will react. "I'll end up with a pretty boy". Ola Hoftun Lillelien plays in the first division for Drammen HK, a city of about 100,000 people near Oslo. Before publicly coming out as gay on his Instagram profile, he went to friends, family and his teammates and told them that he probably wouldn't end up with a pretty girl, but rather a pretty boy. The reactions of his immediate environment are said to be exclusively positive....