CSD Berlin 2025: Fight against sponsorships and queer hostility!

CSD Berlin 2025: Fight against sponsorships and queer hostility!

On Saturday, July 24, 2025, hundreds of thousands of participants are expected to go to CSD in Berlin . A clear political message is conveyed under the motto "Never again", while the organizers are faced with significant financial challenges. Thomas Hoffmann, board member of the CSD association since September 2023, explains that the financial problems of the CSD in Berlin had already accepted serious proportions in Berlin in 2023. The decline in sponsoring led to a decrease in revenue of around 70 % compared to the previous year and a budget hole of around 200,000 euros.

In order to improve the financial situation, measures to reduce costs were initiated that enabled savings of 100,000 euros. At the same time, there was a positive response from the community to a call to support, which could win new sponsors who showed their solidarity with the queer movement. Hoffmann, however, emphasizes that it would be unfair to blame individual companies for their retreats, since social and political developments also played a role.

financial challenges and withdrawals from sponsors

the Berlin CSD e. V. is faced with an existential challenge. Several international companies have reduced their commitment, which is considered an alarming signal for the community. Despite these setbacks, the CSD 2025 should still take place. Marcel Voges, another board member, emphasizes the importance of the visibility of the community and describes the current situation as an occasion for urgent action by supporters and the community itself. In this context, a donation campaign to compensate for the loss of income.

Hoffmann adds that short -term financing options are available, but additional support is required in the long term to secure important projects. These include barrier measures, offers at the final rally as well as political campaigns and events during the Pride Month.

political messages and the role of companies

The political dimension of the CSD is of central importance for the organizers. Trucks have to use 75 % of their space for political messages, and the commitment of the companies for the Queere Community is crucial. The CSD association demands that companies have been actively committed to queer concerns for at least three years in order to be able to participate in the CSD with a truck. Hedonistic or as "pinkwashing" behavior is decidedly rejected; Instead, companies have to show a real attitude.

Hoffmann and his fellow campaigners are concerned about the increase in queer hostility in society. This development is not only reflected in the withdrawal of sponsors, but also in a general climate in which queer -political topics are repeatedly pushed into the background. It becomes increasingly clear that the protection of queer lifestyles is considered unimportant, which is reinforced by various political developments. Dorothee Bär (CSU) was derogatory about LGBTIQ+topics, which raises concerns about the risk of queer political progress.

The problems in the current Pride season are illustrated by incidents such as the early demolition of the first German CSD in Schönebeck near Magdeburg. Organizers reported that the regulatory office had classified the assembly as not politically enough. These incidents underline the need for protection and defense of queer lifestyles, promoting initiatives such as "CSD" that was launched after attacks on pride parades.

Overall, the upcoming CSD in Berlin shows that queer rights are not a luxury, but a fundamental social necessity that needs to be defended. The CSD is of economic importance for the capital, with a added value of around 200 million euros, as a 2016 study shows. It is all the more important to maintain the commitment to queer matters in the future and to fight against the ongoing challenges.