CSD Pride Parade

Before heading to Stuttgart, Germany I flew into Frankfurt, Germany where I spent four days exploring the city. This was my first time in Germany and I was pleasantly surprised with how friendly everyone was towards Americans and how many people spoke English or at least made an effort to. My previous experience in Europe was in France where I spent most of the time in the southern part of the country where most people don’t speak English and then when I went to Paris people were not very friendly to Americans and if they did speak English they would seem annoyed.

While in Frankfurt the CSD (Christopher Street Day) Gay Pride Parade was going on during the weekend. This particular sparked my interest because during this trip I am going to be observing the presence of the LGBTQ Community in Germany and compare it to the presence the LGBTQ Community in America. The parade/ festival that took place during the weekend was huge and in the center of an outdoor shopping mall and attracted swarms of thousands of people. Everyone was dressed in rainbow flags, had their faces painted, hair dyed, and many more things to show their support for the LGBTQ Community. This was unusual to see here because since I have been here I have notices that most people wear very neutral colors and bold and bright colors are not a popular trend as they are in the United States. I can say that I have not seen anything this big in Richmond before. The only comparison I have is small gathering they do on Brown’s Island during Gay Pride Month. So, the presence of the LGBTQ Community here so far seems to be stronger and possibly even larger and that is just an assumption and something I have noticed by spending 4 days here.

It appears that the CSD Parade travels across Germany because its next stop is actually is Stuttgart this coming weekend, where I will also be! So, it will be interesting to compare the similarities and differences between the two venues and see if they change anything. I know that certain concerns will also being going on in Stuttgart this week in support of the LGBTQ Community. Up next we will be in the classroom where hopefully I can grasp a understanding of the presence/support of the LGBTQ Community in the business setting in Germany!