In July, hundreds of thousands of people marched in Berlin on Christopher Street Day in support of recognizing the rights of LGBTQ people. The abbreviation LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, and queer people, but also includes those with other identities, such as people who are intersex, asexual, bisexual or transgender.
Among them is Wanja Kiber. Originally from Kazakhstan, he spoke with DW during the CSD about his life story.
"We came to Germany, and I came out pretty quickly. And my parents' first reaction was to take tranquilizers, say nothing, cry and avoid talking about it. How did that feel, to not be able to tell anyone about it, to feel I was not right? To be considered a criminal, a sick person? To not exist at all?"
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But meanwhile, added Kiber, his father is not only proud of him but has become an advocate for LGBTQ rights himself. For him, it's a small success story — but not everyone is as resilient and as lucky. This is another reason for one of the key demands at Christopher Street Day: the ban on discrimination because of sexual orientation must be expressly written into the German constitution.
Well-known German pop singer Herbert Grönemeyer spoke at Christopher Street Day, saying that article 3 of the German constitution should be amended to........