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The motto for Cologne Pride 2016 is “different.Life!” (anders. Leben!") With this the organisers, Cologne Association for Gays and Lesbians (KLuST e.V.), not only look back on the joint fight against discrimination and for complete legal equality as well as unreserved social acceptance during the past 25 years, but also ask the question, what does it mean in the year 2016 to live “differently” and to love. What is the state of integration and inclusion of LGBTQI in society and politics and also within their own community?
Alone the facts that even today legislators actively fuel discrimination, while laws based on “gut feelings” will not be changed, or furthermore rehabilitation, which according to the old paragraph 175 from the German penal code causes suffering for condemned LGBTQI, show deficits in the legislative rule of law which urgently need to be overhauled and aligned.
In addition, almost daily news items and experiences from LGBTQI from all age groups show that relating to society as a whole, a lot has indeed already been done, however discrimination and stigmatisation remain on the agenda for certain people. Severely disabled, older and high care LGBTQI as well as those with refugee or migrant backgrounds remain in the shadows, not only in society as a whole but also regularly within the community, which is not consistent for a community with such diverse lifestyles.
In short: discrimination and stigmatisation still belong today as sad daily occurrences. Thus, living differently in society is a picture of everyday life painted with fear and pain. It is for this reason ColognePride 2016 would like to focus on how we live together and how we want to live together – in the past, the present and in the future.