On July 27th, 2024, we marched the streets for Internationalist Queer Pride Berlin.

This is the speech we read:

Today, we gather to speak truth to power and to stand in solidarity with our siblings and comrades across the globe who face unimaginable repression, fear, and intimidation. In the heart of Europe, Germany, a country celebrated for its commitment to human rights and freedom, we are witnessing troubling signs of crackdowns on dissent, particularly in the context of the war in Palestine.

As we speak, queer people in the asylum system in Germany find themselves muzzled, their voices silenced by the very system that should protect them. The specter of violence looms large, with the government’s increasing hostility towards those who dare to speak out against injustice. Our freedom of expression, our right to protest, is under siege.

This repression is not an isolated phenomenon. It echoes the chilling realities faced by queer individuals across Africa, where governments in countries like Ghana, Uganda, and others have enacted draconian laws that criminalize our existence. In these nations, simply being queer can be a death sentence, a ticket to a life of fear and hiding. The anti-LGBTQ+ laws in these countries are not just pieces of legislation; they are instruments of terror, designed to strip away our humanity, to erase our existence.

In Uganda, the infamous “Kill the Gays” bill continues to threaten the lives of countless individuals. In Ghana, the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values” bill seeks to entrench discrimination, making it a crime to be who we are. This criminalization of our very existence is not just a violation of our rights; it is an assault on our dignity and our very humanity.

But as we stand here today, we must also celebrate the spirit of resistance, the unyielding courage of those who continue to fight for justice and equality. The theme of this year’s Pride in Berlin is a testament to that resilience: “Solidarity Without Borders.” It is a call to action, a reminder that our struggle is global and that our fight for freedom is intertwined.

In Berlin, where the echoes of the past still resonate, we are reminded of the price of silence, of inaction. The walls of this city, the streets we walk, bear witness to the struggles of those who came before us. It is our duty, our honor, to continue that fight, to ensure that no one, anywhere, has to live in fear, in hiding, in silence.

Let us be clear: our solidarity is not conditional. It is not bound by borders, by nationality, by the color of our skin, or by the nature of our love. It is universal, unwavering. We must continue to lift our voices, to support those who are silenced, to stand with the queer people of Africa, of Palestine, of every corner of the world where freedom is still a distant dream.

Today, as we raise our flags, as we march, as we speak out, let us remember that our fight is not just about us; it is about every person who has ever been told they are not worthy, not human, not enough. It is about every person who has faced violence, fear, and intimidation simply for being who they are.

In this moment, let our solidarity be louder than the guns, stronger than the laws, more defiant than the fear. Let us be the voices that refuse to be silenced, the hands that reach across borders, and the hearts that beat in unison for a world where everyone is free to love, to be, and to live without fear.

Together, we are unstoppable.

This speech was written by Anne (who was moderating) and read by Jacky at Internationalist Queer Pride on 22nd June 2023 in Berlin:

Audacity. The constant that inspires and irks my soul in the same breadth.
You see, I am filthy rich in audacity!
To be a bold and proud queer African refugee is to embody audacity in its fullness.
It takes audacity to proudly bear undeniable and magnificent diversity, while battling prejudice, racialization, discrimination and so much more!
It is our fuel to bravely rise above the waves of fear, violence and death
To break chains of oppression and choking expectations
Audacity fuels the fire we breathe to burn all the boxes society tries to fit us in.
Heck, it is audacity that got me alive and on this stage today!

But on the other hand, there is audacity that irks me, makes my blood boil!
That Holybook thumping, viral, partriachal, pathological audacity!
You know, the one fashionably dressed in religiously shimmering accessories, just dripping in jewels of double standards?
That audacity to covet my sense of self and freedom,
Marrying it with your self hate and consumating it with your hypocrisy!
Simply because I choose to be unapologetically me, unbowed, daring to live and love!
What nerve you have, to play God, creator and erasor?
The self branded correction fluid for humanity, the White wash!
How fitting it is that you should excel at whitewashing!
From erasing my kind from history, discovering and seizing what was neither new nor yours to take!
The audacity to breach our borders, defile our lands, tear at our very souls and senselessly think you could simply erase us!
It is a milestone you come so close to achieving, but…alas! Our Audacity!
You know I tend to think you actually get off on the blood bath.
Ironically, you recoil in disgust at my melanin
At times staring with eyes that perhaps try to instantly dissolve my melanin right there in the train! Haha
Yet you tokenize me, fetishize and objectify my person
Your soiled sheets on one hand and a handful of your racist, capitalistic, queerphobic spew on the other!
Then with your power and privilege you manipulate the narrative,
Trying to render us voiceless, powerless, seen but not heard, non existent.

But baby, audacity goes both ways, and in my righteous audacity I stand here to reclaim our voice, our presence, our resilience!
Like my ancestors, my audacity seeks no permission,
I stand on the shoulders of all that came before me, before us
Sanctified by their blood and tears, charged by their resilience and defiance
Mine is the voice of legions of warriors, fighters, proven and time-tested winners! Revolutionists!
I carry the audacity of the often forgotten and unseen global majority, a force to reckon with!
From all beautiful corners we rise, no longer underdogs, but loud and proud!
With the audacity to be ourselves, born fearless and determined to fight on.
We shall be silent no more, for our revolution is here!
Our Pride is our audacity, and you had better be scared of it!

M, a new IWS member, joins Jennifer to share the ins and outs of navigating the asylum process while also being queer and trans. M gives a detailed glimpse into the entire journey from the initial airport procedures to life in the Lager – and the crucial information and support that enabled her to go through it all. Then shifting from the personal to the political, the two discuss the ways that Germany’s image as a ‘queer haven’ is in stark contrast to the brutal realities facing those seeking asylum as a queer person.