The panel discussion "Chemnitz - A protected space for diversity?" took place as the second event in the series "What can the European Capital of Culture do in Chemnitz?" on 28 July 2023 at 6.30 pm at Kraftwerk e.V. At the invitation of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 GmbH, project organisers from Chemnitz and the cultural region came together with local and international experts.
The panel included social psychologist Prof. Dr Berthold Meyer from Chemnitz University of Technology, organiser and DJ Fixie Fate from Berlin, European Capital of Culture project manager Steffen Biernath, Toni Rotter, one of the organisers of Christopher Street Day Chemnitz, Dr Birgit Hofstätter from the SalzkammerQueer Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 project and Toschka Heise from the Awareness Leipzig initiative. Aisha Konaté took over the moderation.
Does Chemnitz offer a safe space for diversity? This question was discussed in the second part of the series "What can the Capital of Culture do in Chemnitz?" with various experts, who focussed primarily on the perspectives of queer people. Promoting diversity also enables participation in society, which is why the concept of diversity clearly has a political dimension, says Prof Dr Berthold Meyer in the discussion. Right-wing extremism and the associated devaluation and exclusion of marginalised groups are a particular problem in this region.
Among other things, the importance of communities was discussed, with the help of which protected spaces and structures against discrimination could be established. What is the role of the Capital of Culture? It clearly lies in supporting the formation of new networks and communities, said Steffen Biernath, project developer at the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 GmbH. "We do democracy work with everything we do." A queer network that recently formed in Chemnitz and now meets regularly is a first visible sign.
Christopher Street Day in Chemnitz - a sign of diversity
Making queer people visible and celebrating diversity is at the heart of Christopher Street Day, which took place in Chemnitz on 29 July 2023 directly after the panel discussion.
The European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 GmbH designed one of the trucks for the big parade and also invited guests from the SalzkammerQueer project, a project to promote queer communities in rural areas, which was initiated by the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024.
