Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) announced that the rainbow flag will be raised over the German Bundestag on May 17th for the International Day Against Anti-Homo, Bi, Inter, and Trans Prejudice, a tradition that continues from last year.
Speaking about the decision, Klöckner highlighted a specific parliamentary link to the chosen date. She explained that the flag hoisting on May 17th is not arbitrary, stating that the Bundestag has a definitive legal reason for selecting it. She recalled that on May 17, 2002, the parliament passed a resolution to rehabilitate the victims of Nazi injustices related to homosexuality. Furthermore, this date is recognized internationally as the International Day Against Homophobia. Therefore, the flag will be displayed on May 17th rather than on the day of the Berlin Christopher Street Day.
The date May 17th internationally symbolizes the fight against discrimination and the acceptance of diverse lifestyles. This international recognition is partly based on the World Health Organization’s decision on May 17, 1990, to remove homosexuality from its classification of diseases.
The President also addressed the profound significance of the national flag, emphasizing that the black-red-gold colors represent the constitutional order of freedom, human dignity, and equality before the law-rights that fundamentally include every person’s right to sexual self-determination. She stated that the national flag serves as the overarching framework under which these rights apply to everyone.
According to the Bundestag, the hoisting ceremony complies with the government’s existing flag ordinance, which restricts the raising of the rainbow flag to once every year on federal buildings. This legal constraint was the primary factor leading President Klöckner to choose the date with a clear parliamentary basis over the traditional Berlin Christopher Street Day.
