German parliament to fly rainbow flag on Saturday - but not on Pride
The German parliament will fly a rainbow flag on Saturday to mark the international day against homophobia, but the symbol for the queer community will not be seen during Berlin Pride celebrations.
The flag will be hoisted on May 17, a date which Julia Klöckner - the president of Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag - on Friday called crucial in the fight "against discrimination and for the acceptance of the diversity and equality of all people."
The date, formally known as International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, was chosen to mark the World Health Organization's 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its classification of diseases.
"I have also decided that this will be the only occasion and that a corresponding flag will not also be flown on Christopher Street Day, which, as a day of assembly, protest and celebration, thrives on its powerful presence on the streets," Klöckner added.
The term Christopher Street Day (CSD) is used in Germany to refer to Pride celebrations for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) community.
It is a reference to the location of the Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village neighbourhood, where a protest against police discrimination on June 28, 1969, kick-started the gay liberation movement.
The Reichstag building - which houses the Bundestag - first flew the rainbow flag to mark CSD in 2022.
Former Bundestag president Bärbel Bas said raising the flag would show a commitment to diversity.
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