We are taking to the streets of Marzahn once again – a district too often reduced to stereotypes – to draw attention to something simple and essential.
Visibility is the right to be part of society every day: in our families, in school, at work, at the doctor’s office, at the immigration office. It means being queer in every city, in every neighborhood, in every space and community.
“Everything is fine in Berlin” – but not for those who cannot tell their families, loved ones, or friends who they are. Not for those whose loved ones remain in countries where being queer means facing criminal prosecution, public condemnation, or constant fear for one’s safety.
Visibility does not mean “we have been noticed”
Visibility means: we matter.
Many of us know all too well what it means to live in invisibility: not holding hands, not speaking about the people we love, not answering honestly, not being “too visible.”
For many, these are not abstract words. They are lived experience. They are decisions made every single day: what to say, to whom, and in what context. For those who have lived through migration, war, or authoritarian regimes, visibility is also a question of survival.
No one should have to disappear in order to survive
Real safety does not mean learning how to hide. Real safety means being able to be visible without becoming a target. It means that our right to dignity does not depend on how comfortable society feels accepting us.
We cannot ignore what is happening around us: year after year, far-right attitudes are gaining ground; support for civic initiatives and independent NGOs is shrinking; more and more people are being denied protection and the right to asylum.
We see the situation of queer people worsening across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia – in Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and other countries where hatred has become part of state policy.
But we see something else as well: despite fear, people continue to come together and support one another.
We call on everyone
We call on everyone who shares our values – freedom, safety, and the right of every person to be themselves – to join us and march with us.
Sichtbarkeit ist Widerstand!
Visibility is resistance!