Pride 2024: Cologne's LGBTQ+ celebrate Christopher Street Day

The annual Pride parade in Cologne, Germany, is both a street festival and a massive political event. This year's motto is 'For human rights. Many. Together. Strong.'

Modern Germany takes pride in its friendly stance towards LGBTQ+ groups. Cologne, Berlin and other German cities use the name "Christopher Street Day" (CSD) for their Pride parades after the location of Stonewall Inn gay bar in New York, which was raided in 1969.

Over 1.2 million people attended the main event on Sunday. Some 65,000 participated in the parade itself — making the 2024 parade the biggest ever, according to the organizers.

Senior politicians, like German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (c) also attended the CSD in Cologne. Talking to reporters, Lauterbach warned that attacks against queer people are on the rise in Germany, and it was "shocking" to see LGBTQ+ rights being rolled back in Europe.

Right-wing parties in Germany are gaining ground, and many LGBTQ+ activists feel their rights are at risk. The banner, in the colors of left-leaning, ruling SPD party, reads: "Queer rebell!on, [With] Pride against the right".

Events surrounding the CSD start long before the main march on Sunday. On Saturday night, the city's Lanxess Arena projected a laser show in rainbow colors in honor of the LGBTQ+ community.

German rock star Bill Kaulitz performed in Cologne on Saturday before taking part in the parade with his twin brother Tom. Bill avoids labels when talking about his sexuality, but he has publicly discussed being in love with both a man and a woman. "I'm incredibly touched by how many people come to me and find courage in my story," he said.

Gay marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017. But the country's Basic Law still does not explicitly protect people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. It would take a two-thirds majority of lawmakers to add sexuality to protected categories such as gender, race and religion.