For Pride Month, SLEEK sat down with one of the Berlin CSD event organizers and political activist Florian Filtzinger to talk about some of the issues still facing LGBTIAQ+ community in Berlin and around the globe, and to find out what’s happening for Christopher Street Day in Berlin this year.
SLEEK: You have been an organizer for not one but two CSD parades/events in Berlin. Why are there more than one? Shouldn’t people try to unify behind the cause?
FF: I am involved in both, but just with parts of the organization and not the full picture. You need a huge team for it to be a succesful event. And speaking in terms of huge: in my perspective there are many reasons to have several marches – the LGBTIAQ+ community is so manifold, how can we pretend to cover all forms of discrimination, perspectives and political views we face at once. For me this offers a way more realistic picture and representation of our community than one big march. And there are three, actually: Marzahn has its own Pride!
SLEEK: You’re also politically active and closely watching development on infringements of LGBTIAQ+ rights in Poland and Russia. What is happening there and are there also parts of Germany where these movements might take place?
FF: Seen from the outside, the work of organizing a Pride seems pretty simple and like it revolves around one event but the work is done all year long (and mostly late at night, after long shifts at our paid jobs). More importantly, this work really connects to – at least for me – my soul. So for sure, we build relationships on a personal and professional level, and after the demonstration the real political work begins.
After the GLOBAL KISS IN, TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE 2013 I have built strong international relationships. Back then, Putin banned homosexuality to be publicly „promoted“ and in doing so took our visibility and placed us outside the mainstream. We protested against this worldwide. We still do, today. The situation has not changed. And even worse: many countries followed „Mother Russia“ and so in 2019 the Polish government started implementing „LGBT FREE ZONES“ where communities claimed that something like homosexuality would not exist there – well, then you can’t go to the police after being homophonically attacked – this opens so many issues. That’s why we so strongly work and try to support these countries.
And yes, history repeats itself, hard-won freedoms can get lost and hey, the f…ing AFD is on the rise in Germany. So we need to be aware and awake, stay active and fight against such oppressive and de-humanizing forces: also in Germany.
"The work of organizing a Pride seems pretty simple and like it revolves around one event but the work is done all year long."
SLEEK: What do you think the main concern for the queer community is or should be at this time?
FF: Dear, I can name so many. But surely a huge topic that has always been around and infiltratied all queer communities is the discrimination of each other! And so much gets lost through in these trench wars. For years the team and I have worked on being as inclusive as possible, and my claim still is: only when we as a community include the most under-represented members and the most quiet voices ,can we be truly strong.
SLEEK: Has the pandemic in any way had an effect on the LGBTIAQ+ community that is different or more pronounced than for other parts of the population?
FF: I don’t think so, just the fact that it has been catalyzing problems anywhere it hit. So surely also in our community. Many, especially young peoples had to stay at homes that are ot safe for them and face discrimination. Safe spaces were shut down for way too long and some still are. Home is not a place of safety for many. This also, of course, involves victims of domestic abuse in all communities.
SLEEK: How will CSD happen this year? Is it limited by pandemic-related restrictions?
FF: Yes, there won’t be any huge gatherings and the core events will be livestreamed but at least we can do several – limited – marches this year and are going to give the best we can. What says most important: we are here and visible, in each way we can.
"Schützt was ihr liebt - protect what you love."
SLEEK: What can we expect from this year’s parades/events? Any sneak previews/concepts you’d like to share with us?
FF: June 26, 2021, the event launching PRIDE MONTH will feature a „star march“, meaning several demonstrations with diverse political statements will start in a number of Berlin’s districts and rendez-vouz in one place. We do this to demonstrate that we belong together, despite our different backgrounds and perspectives. Then there are many many events happening this summer. The grand finale of the month named Pride events is the „traditional“ march organized by the CSD e.V.. But here also with limited participants and no big festival at the end. The community is invited to march „as one“.
SLEEK: Anything else you’d like us to know?
FF: Not only in the LGBTIAQ* community, in all our communities (and so many queer people belong in way more communities than just the one!), stay awake and aware of what is going on at the moment. Not only for yourself. Support each other, use your voices and stay close to the ones you love. We have to protect our freedom and stand in solidarity with anyone who is oppressed. Together we are stronger than any oppressor or opponent – “This fight aint’ over, old men!”
Florian ends our conversation with a German idiom: Schützt, was ihr liebt-protect what you love.