Discover how diverse the LGBTIQ community is in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia

47 350 People in Düsseldorf (estimated)
are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. If one takes the 2016 study as a basis, according to which the share of the German population is 7.4 per cent.
(Düsseldorf had 642,304 inhabitants in 2018.)

37 Groups & Initiatives
are committed to the LGBTIQ Community in Düsseldorf.

13 Associations
organise events, offer meetings and group activities or are active in sports.

12 Specialised agencies
provide advice and assistance in the areas of health, lifestyle or empowerment.

8 Bars, Clubs and Pubs
in Düsseldorf and as many dance parties are popular meeting places for gays, lesbians and transgender.

Current Status: April 2020

In Düsseldorf, diversity is capitalised. The capital of North Rhine-Westphalia is cosmopolitan and tolerant.

But that was not always the case. During the Nazi regime, Düsseldorf was a stronghold of persecution of homosexuals. The city wants to commemorate this and the tireless struggle of lesbians, gays and trans* against discrimination and for equal rights with a memorial on the banks of the Rhine. This is a success for the Düsseldorf LGBTIQ groups who have campaigned for such a memorial for many years.

Since the 1970s, numerous initiatives in Düsseldorf, some of which are still active today, have been committed to equal rights for lesbian, gay and queer lifestyles.

Gay and lesbian subculture had its home in Café Rosa Mond e.V. in the 80s and 90s, where various events and parties took place. In 1988, the Lesbian and Gay Centre Düsseldorf e.V. was founded, which was also a popular meeting place for the lesbian-gay scene. Twenty years later, both initiatives ceased their work. Times - and also the leisure time behaviour of the target group - had changed.

The municipal working group of lesbian and gay groups (today LSBTIQ+ Forum Düsseldorf), founded in 1995, used the increasing openness of the city society towards same-sex lifestyles and gender diversity to make the demands of the community heard.

For some years now, there has been a lot of support from politics. In addition to youth work projects (such as the PULS youth centre or the SCHLAU educational project), specialised counselling centres for rainbow families, LGBTIQ seniors or transgender people are also funded.

In 2016, the position of a diversity officer was created in the Düsseldorf city administration, who also looks after the concerns of LGBTIQ. Since then, a network for lesbian, gay and transgender employees has been set up in the equal opportunities office of the state capital, events in the field of diversity have been organised and the activities of various organisations and groups have been coordinated and networked.

The Düsseldorf City Archive is also setting new accents with its own collection focus in order to preserve the eventful history of the LGBTIQ community for the future.

CHRISTOPHER STREET DAY (CSD), the German name of Gay Pride, commemorates the uprising of homosexuals and transsexuals against arbitrary police raids at the Stonewall Inn bar in New York on 28 June 1969.

In Düsseldorf, a street festival lasting several days with information stands and a stage programme has been celebrated every year in early summer since 2004 – for some years at a prominent location on Johannes-Rau-Platz.

The highlight is the colourful demonstration march through Düsseldorf's city centre and along the Rhine promenade. Many hundreds of participants demonstrate for the rights of LGBTIQ and against discrimination and exclusion. | www.csd-d.de

This show is cult! For 27 years, the KULTURETTEN have been presenting their programme with travesty, magic, cabaret, music – but also with talk on current topics. Sundays once a month from October to May. CULTURE CLUB @ Jazz-Schmiede | www.kulturetten.de

Twice a month, gay and lesbian films are screened at the Filmkunstkinos Düsseldorf. The QUEERFILMNACHT usually takes place on the second Monday, lesbian films are shown on the third Monday. | www.duesseldorf-queer.de/termine/film/

The book collection of the Lesbian and Gay Library Düsseldorf, founded in 1996, comprises around 4,000 titles. The volunteer team organises book tables and readings, among other things. | www.lusbd.de

Today – 20 years after its founding – the KG REGENBOGEN is not only Germany's largest gay and lesbian carnival society, but also the largest carnival society in Düsseldorf. The colourful team is a real eye-catcher at the Rose Monday parade. And their meeting party and the drag queen competition "Tunte lauf!" ("Drag race") are highlights of the Düsseldorf carnival season.| www.kg-regenbogen.de

Going out gay and lesbian and celebrating life in a lively way – that's also possible in Düsseldorf. They still exist: gay bars and clubs (like Queenz, the K1 Club or the Nähkörbchen), lesbian clubs (like Lesbian Take-Over) and dance events for every musical taste – from techno to Schlager.

A constant feature since 2006 is the SCHAMLOS party, which invites "gay girls and lesbian boys" to dance at ZAKK.

For 40 years now, Pink Monday at the Rheinkirmes has been a very special scene highlight, attracting the LGBTIQ community from many parts of the country to Düsseldorf. The central meeting point for queer funfair fans is the "Schwarzwald Christel" gastronomy tent of the Oscar Bruch family of showmen. In the meantime, many other carnies have joined in and on Mondays the funfair becomes a huge sea of rainbow flags. | facebook.com/pinkmondayrheinkirmes

Overview Bars, Clubs and Parties