Now it's official: Cologne is - according to the study - the "most sex-positive" city in Germany
In a study published by the online magazine "Lust", there is now an answer to the question "Which is the most sex-positive city in Germany?": Cologne!
"Sexpositive" in this case means something like "sexually open". In total, the list includes 50 cities. Some people might not be surprised by the first place. Cologne is not only known for its colorful and large CSDs, but also for its unique queer scene.
However, the list also contains a few surprises. For example, the German capital Berlin does not make it as far up the list as many would have expected.
Which is the most sex-positive city in Germany? A look at the rankings
While Cologne has made it to 1st place, Mannheit and Freiburg occupy 2nd and 3rd place, followed by Osnabrück and Magdeburg.
Berlin comes in eighth place, a little way behind. But some other big cities definitely still have room for improvement here. The Hanseatic city of Hamburg, for example, only made it to 22nd place, while Düsseldorf and its "longest bar in the world," where many queers also party every weekend, only made it to 26th place.
What details determined who ranked what?
Of course, the results published in the course of the study do not come by chance. As a point of reference, the parameters that - depending on the number of inhabitants - contribute to a sex-positive life in the respective cities hold. Among other things, for example, the number of sex stores in the city, swingers clubs and queer locations and counseling centers played an important role.
Hovering over everything was the additional question of how strongly the queer community was integrated into the local community. Or in other words: the more queers and the rest of society were on an equal footing, the better the chances were of being perceived as "sex-positive" and getting a place further up the ladder.
Above all, the ratio of queer offerings on site to residents was often the deciding factor here in the end as to which rank was taken.
The list of the most sex-positive cities in Germany contains a few surprises
As already mentioned, many people would certainly have seen Berlin further ahead. However, it should not be forgotten that the city is simply incredibly large and accordingly many people live here.
The somewhat smaller cities in particular often managed small "surprise victories" - perhaps precisely because of their smaller populations. Classic examples include Mannheim and Osnabrück. The last place on the list is occupied by Mülheim an der Ruhr. But: At least the city made it into the top 50!
In any case, the survey showed one thing: over the course of time, a lot has changed with regard to sex positivity in Germany. For many people, swingers' clubs and relevant gay locations, such as saunas and clubs, are part of the "normal cityscape" these days. If you live in the country (or at least comparatively rural), you no longer have to visit a big city to meet like-minded people.
Of course, however, the range of counseling services via the Internet has also been expanded, among other things. If you are queer and looking for support, you are in good hands in Germany - even in international comparison. And yet: Better (and in this case more tolerant) is always possible. The cities that made it onto the list of the most sex-positive cities should be pleased that they are taking on a kind of pioneering role here.
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