A Tale of Two Parades
It's a fabulous weekend for Magdeburg. The reason why the fursuit parade was moved to Friday is another parade: Christopher Street Day!
Some 417 fursuiters are assembled at Eurofurence. When they march through the streets of Magdeburg in a colourful defilee, cars stop, children squeal and parents take photographs. This year, for the first time, the fursuit parade will take place on Friday, instead of Saturday.
The reason for this change is as simple as it is surprising. Another line of paraders will waltz through Magdeburg on Saturday, just in front of the Maritim: the Christopher Street Day parade! Eurofurence chairman Cheetah was taken by surprise when a staff member spotted a preview in Magdeburg's newspaper "Volksstimme" some two months ago. "What went through my mind in that moment is not fit for print," he says.
Christopher Street Day festivals are held in many countries around the globe to raise attention to gay and lesbian rights. Parties and cultural events celebrating gay life-style complement the political side. Crossdressers and fancy costumes are a common sight.
Anniversaries and rainbow flags
This year, Magdeburg's gays and lesbians are celebrating a double anniversary: ten years of Cristopher Street Day and ten years of registered partnership for homosexual couples. For the first time, the town hall will be adorned with a rainbow flag. Mayor Lutz Trümper (SPD) had refused it for ten years in a row, but was finally overpowered by a city council majority.
With four vehicles and a few hundred attendees, Magdeburg's parade is not nearly as huge as its counterpart in Germany's 'gay capital' Cologne which draws up to 120 vehicles and one million spectators. Still, Robert Tecklenburg of LSVD Sachsen-Anhalt was "very pleased" with last year's turnout. "It was a positive and peaceful event for everybody."
Cheetah: "We don't want to steal their limelight"
"Eurofurence is supportive of the rights of minorities," says chairman Cheetah. "We do not want to attract the public's nor the media's attention away from their cause. Also, we are not, in any way, political. Therefore, we changed the date of our parade to avoid confusion between the events."
LGBT fursuiters who wish to express their pride are not discouraged from joining the parade. However, they should bear in mind that they risk doing disservice to both their causes: by stealing the political activists their limelight and by associating a diverse and inclusive fandom with one sexual orientation.
Author: Luxen