As dykes*, we feel the threat from the far right in our society firsthand: in our daily lives, on our bodies and in our communities. Our hard-won rights are under attack. Patriarchal violence and discrimination are on the rise. From insults on the street to exclusion from our families to repression of left-wing protests.
Our trans* siblings, in particular, know all too well what it means when achievements like the Self-Determination Act (Selbstbestimmungsgesetz) are under threat. While the German government invests billions in militarization, cuts are being made everywhere else. Social infrastructure is being steadily dismantled, and workers’ rights, such as the 8-hour workday, are under attack.
These cuts disproportionately affect (BIPoC) Dykes*, women, trans*, non-binary, and queer people, as well as people living in poverty, people with a history of migration, and people with disabilities, neurodivergence, chronic illnesses, and/or mental health conditions.
We won’t just stand by. We’re taking to the streets, loud and clear: for a society free of patriarchal violence and discrimination, for healthcare for all, for the right to abortion and bodily autonomy, for adoption laws that take lesbian realities into account, against the cuts in social policies, against special registries (Sonderregister) for queer people, and against anyone who attacks our rights.
We take to the streets not only to defend what we’ve won, but to fight for liberation for all.
Dyke* Marches have historically emerged from self-organized queer and feminist struggles and stand for collective care. Many people in our community do not see the police as a source of protection, but rather as an institution that reproduces existing power structures and specifically targets racialized, migrant, queer, and trans* people.
We oppose this state repression, racial profiling, and police violence. At the same time, we know that when we’re out in public spaces, we’re operating under conditions that we cannot fully control. It’s important to us that we work together to do everything we can to ensure that as many dykes* as possible can safely participate in the Dyke* March.
We look out for one another, have an awareness structure in place and brief our awareness team accordingly. We stand in solidarity not only figuratively, but also physically. Our goal is to organize safety ourselves as much as possible through solidarity, awareness, mutual support, and collective responsibility.
Anyone who identifies as a dyke* is warmly invited to take part in the Dyke* March. We do not question this self-identification.
Being a dyke* is and always has been an act of resistance by challenging gender norms. Being a dyke* means being able to live and desire in a way that defies patriarchal, cis-heteronormative ideals.
Dykes* of all gender identities and expressions (including trans*, non-binary, inter*, and gender-nonconforming Dykes*) and of all sexual orientations (including lesbian, bi*, pan*, aromantic, and/or asexual Dykes*) are expressly invited. This also explicitly includes butches, femmes, masculine dykes*, feminine dykes*, and studs. We owe much of what defines dyke* and lesbian history and culture to these groups.
We want to give particular visibility to perspectives that are marginalized in multiple ways even within queer spaces: BIPoC dykes*, Jewish dykes*, Roma and Sinti dykes*, dykes* with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodivergent Dykes*, migrant, refugee, undocumented and illegalized Dykes*, Muslim and religiously marginalized Dykes*, sex-working dykes*, and poor, precariously housed, and homeless dykes*. This list is neither complete nor exhaustive.
Solidarity from allies is important. However, the Dyke* March sees itself first and foremost as a space for dyke* visibility, community, and political resistance. That is why we ask cis men to stay away from the march in a spirit of solidarity and to show their support in everyday life and in political struggles.
Dykes* who are sex workers have always been and continue to be part of our community and our struggles. We reject political initiatives that disempower, stigmatize, criminalize, or exclude sex workers from feminist and queer spaces. We expressly invite dykes* who are sex workers to join us in our demonstrations.
We oppose the blurring of the distinctions between patriarchal violence and sex work – which, under capitalism, is not always a pleasant or empowering form of work, just like any other. We recognize that the sexualized violence experienced by sex workers is often used politically against them.
We condemn sexualized violence and oppression experienced by people in the context of wars, genocides, anti-LGBTQ+ persecution, while fleeing their homes, and within churches and corporations. In Germany, survivors of sexualized violence continue to be stigmatized and subjected to forms of pathologization while their psychosocial needs are often neglected.
Legal protections are inadequate, the barriers to trial are high, and even when cases do go to court, the procedures and structures are not tailored to the needs of those affected. In court, they have very little chance of success and are treated disrespectfully. Accountability must be established, and those affected must finally receive the support they need.
We do not view solidarity as a competition. Suffering should not be weighed against one another – different experiences of war, persecution, poverty, and violence exist simultaneously and side by side. We reject any policy that pits liberation struggles against one another or makes solidarity selective. We stand in solidarity with queer people, women, and marginalized communities worldwide – with people living under far-right and authoritarian governments in Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, and elsewhere.
The situation for queer people is dangerous in Europe as well: Transgender anti-fascists are being held in solitary confinement in Hungary; in Poland, so-called “LGBT-free zones” were in place until recently; and here in Germany too, violence against LGBTQIA+ people and attacks on Pride parades continue to rise. We stand in solidarity with trans* and queer people in Ukraine and Lebanon, whose lives are threatened by war and external attacks.
With people fleeing their homes, people living in poverty, and people without secure residency status. We oppose the criminalization of those seeking protection and any policy that portrays people fleeing their homes as a threat. We condemn the genocides in Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with all their devastating consequences for people and societies.
We stand in solidarity with all dykes* affected by war, displacement and genocide. The Dyke* March is meant to be a space where Palestinian dykes* and dykes* in solidarity with Palestine can also fight and mourn. We also stand in solidarity with all women and LGBTQIA+ people in Rojava who are fighting tirelessly for the freedom of all oppressed genders and peoples and defying the military attacks by the Turkish state and the Syrian transitional government.
Jewish dykes* are an integral part of our community. Their protection, safety, and visibility are non-negotiable for us. Antisemitism is a real and growing problem in Germany and around the world, and we stand firmly against it. Jewish life is currently being threatened, attacked, and exploited, especially in Germany – also within left-wing and queer spaces.
Antisemitic statements, symbols, or conspiratorial narratives have no place at the Dyke* March. Solidarity with Palestine and the fight against antisemitism are not mutually exclusive.
The Dyke* March is a space for diverse political viewpoints. We come from a variety of backgrounds, sometimes hold different or conflicting perspectives, and engage in intense discussions – including on difficult issues. Political differences do not have to disappear here. What unites us are shared principles: mutual respect, solidarity with marginalized people, and the rejection of all forms of misanthropy.
We know that we have no control over who attends a public demonstration. However, we want to take collective responsibility for one another and create a space where alliances of solidarity can form and collective resistance becomes possible – against fascism, misogyny, queerphobia, and transphobia, and in support of remembering and making visible lesbian, dyke*, and queer history.
We do not view the fight against fascism as an abstract political stance, but as a necessary prerequisite for our freedom. That is why we take to the streets – together, loud, and impossible to ignore. Our very existence is resistance!