Christopher Street Day in Berlin: For freedom, equality, humanity

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Christopher Street Day (CSD) is back in Berlin: the colorful train started at noon.

The spectacle began with a rally and a shower of confetti on the Spittelmarkt in the Mitte district.

Photo: Emmanuele Contini / IMAGO

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The organizers expected up to 500,000 participants.

Photo: Christoph Soeder / dpa

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The parade with almost 100 vehicles, loud house, disco and electro beats and lots of extravagantly dressed foot soldiers led to the Brandenburg Gate over a distance of a good seven kilometers.

Photo: Christoph Soeder / dpa

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This year's motto for the procession for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people was »United in Love!

Against hatred, war and discrimination.«

Photo: Emmanuele Contini / IMAGO

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The CSD had already taken place in Cologne at the beginning of July, and hundreds of thousands of people also took part in the parade there.

Photo: Marius Becker / picture alliance / dpa

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In Leipzig on July 16, this participant laughed down from a truck.

Photo: Sebastian Willnow / picture alliance / dpa

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There is no fixed date for the parades, they take place in numerous German cities during the warmer months and are reminiscent of events in the USA at the end of the 1960s.

Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP

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In June 1969, police stormed the Stonewall Inn gay bar on New York's Christopher Street.

Days of clashes between activists and security forces followed.

Today they are considered the hour of birth of the modern gay and lesbian movement.

Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS

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For the first time this year, the Bundestag also hoisted rainbow flags: one flag waved on Saturday on the Reichstag building and two others in front of it.

In April, the Ministry of the Interior officially gave permission for the symbol to be hoisted in front of or on federal official buildings on certain occasions.

Photo: Leon Kuegeler / photothek / IMAGO

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In front of the Federal Chancellery, its boss Wolfgang Schmidt raised a rainbow flag.

Other institutions such as the Federal Ministry of the Interior or the Federal Ministry of Defense also set an example for diversity and tolerance with the flag.

Photo: Christian Spicker / IMAGO

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The flag was designed by US artist Gilbert Baker, who was involved in the gay and lesbian movement in San Francisco, in the late 1970s.

Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP

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Spikes on the head: The Berlin CSD is one of the largest events for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community in Europe.

Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS

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Federflügel: Many participants dressed up for the huge party - the question of whether the event today is primarily a fun event with flashy outfits is discussed again and again.

Photo: STRINGER / REUTERS

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At the same time, extravagant looks and breaking gender stereotypes are also simply part of queer history.

Here: a mask wearer at the parade.

Photo: IMAGO/Emmanuele Contini

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In Berlin, however, it was also directly about political messages.

At the opening, Berlin's Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer (Die Linke, left) recalled the Russian war against Ukraine.

»Thousands of people have fled, including many queer people.«

Photo: IMAGO/Emmanuele Contini