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Kiev Gay Pride

It is Kiev gay pride this weekend and Discodamaged is sending its intrepid reporter Steffen into the thick of it to tell us what happens. Last year it was a disaster. Watch this space for our report and wish him well and a safe return.

Strassenfest and Gay Pride

Two events for your diary:

21st gay and lesbian street party (Stadtfest / Strassenfest) 11:00-22:00 15 and 16 June 2013 Motzstrasse, Berlin. Visit the Discodamaged stand near Tramps, Eisenacher Strasse 6.
https://www.facebook.com/events/484936498230480/

CSD (Christopher Street Day / Gay Pride) Finale at Brandenburg Tor June 22 14:00-midnight
https://www.facebook.com/events/126309180897175/

Hustlaballs in London and Brussels

Hustlaball goes to Brussels on May 17 at Club Fuse with top name DJs, porn performers, and fetish acts converging from around the globe. Then it's in London at Electric Brixton on Saturday 29 June with DJs Renton Ducati, Jp Dubios and many more and ukhotjocks.com hosting the VIP Room. Both are in your gay Berlin calendar. Click the headline for details, tickets etc.

Shimmering Normality - CSD Potsdam this Weekend

It's CSD (Gay Pride) Potsdam this weekend in the beautiful Dutch quarter of beautiful Potsdam. The motto is "Shimmering Normality" and it's Saturday and Sunday afternoon at the Louise-Henrietten-Stift, Ecke Kurfürsten Strasse / Benkert Strasse, 14467 Potsdam.
Queensday Day 1 here: http://www.facebook.com/events/423097534449814/
Queensday Day 2 here: http://www.facebook.com/events/145001642333089/

Big Gay Berlin Dates in 2013

Here's the big gay events in Berlin in 2013, so you can book your holidays to be here or avoid the place.
Easter
Friday, March 29th 2013 (Good Friday) BLF Rubber / Leather weekend, German Mr Leather. http://blf.de/
Saturday, March 30: Snax at Berghain / lab.oratory http://www.snax-club.de/

Street party
Friday and Saturday June 15 and 16, 11am-8pm
Street party / Strassenfest / Stadtfest in Schöneberg: http://www.regenbogenfonds.de/

Berlin gay Pride / CSD
Saturday June 22
CSD = Christopher Street Day: http://www.csd-berlin.de/

Gay lesbian bi Parkfest
Mid August
in Volkspark Friedrichshain http://www.parkfest-friedrichshain.de/

Folsom Europe
Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15
http://www.folsom-europe.info/

Hustlaball
Friday October 18
http://www.hustlaball.de/
 
Official Holidays in Berlin
Fri Mar 29, 2013  Easter Friday / Karfreitag
Mon Apr 1, 2013  Easter Monday / Ostermontag
Wed May 1, 2013  Labour day / Tag der Arbeit
Thu May 9, 2013  Ascension / Christi Himmelfahrt
Thu Oct 3, 2013 Reunification day / Tag der Deutschen Einheit - Germany
Wed Dec 25, 2013 Christmas / 1. Weihnachtstag
Thu Dec 26, 2013 Boxing day / 2. Weihnachtstag

Shut up and do something!

CSD (Gay Pride) Berlin have decided on their motto for 2013: "Schluss mit Sonntagsreden! Demonstrieren! Wählen! Verändern!".
Literally translated that's "Stop the Sunday speeches! Demonstrate! Vote! Change!". Even our German friends are not sure what Sonntagsreden really means. Sermon? Idle chat? CSD are referring to all the politician's speeches about equalising gay marriage / tax / social security rights. We'll stick with "Shut up and do something! Demonstrate! Vote! Change!", unless anybody can suggest anything better - leave a comment.
CSD is at http://www.csd-berlin.de/ and the Berlin parade (er, demonstration) is June 22 2013.

Vietnam Gay Pride

Vietnam has held its first ever Gay Pride parade. It took place in Hanoi on Sunday. The government there has recently proposed including same-sex couples in the country’s marriage laws. If that were to happen Vietnam would be the first country in Asia to do so.

Berlin CSD / Gay Pride 2012

There are two parades and a ton of parties. First the official parade starts at 12:00 at the Corner of Gitschiner Strasse / Prinzenstrasse, Kreuzberg then goes Wilhelmstrasse, Niederkirchnerstrasse, Stresemannstrasse, Potsdamer Platz, Ebertstrasse, Hannah-Arendt-Strasse, Französische Strasse, Glinkastrasse, Neustädtische Kirchstrasse, Dorotheenstrasse and ends at Scheidemannstrasse / Yitzhak-Rabin-Strasse and three stages at Brandenburg gate.

Then there's TCSD or the alternative gay pride.
Starts 13:00 in Elsen Strasse, Treptower Park (in front of Treptower Park Center) and ends about 18:00 with a party at Heinrich Platz, Kreuzberg: Stages with speeches, performances, music and stands. 

Click here for larger printable version of the official CSD parade route
Click here for larger printable version of the TCSD parade route
Click the headline for stage details at the official finale and official parties.
Click here for our pick of other parties or use the Gay Berlin Calendar
Parade routes are also on the A-Z | Gay Map

A million missing condoms

Berlin Aids-Hilfe (AIDS help) are giving out 20 000 packs of condoms and lube during CSD. With about 500 000 faggots in town, that's about one pack of condoms between 25 people. Pathetic! And fairly typical for Berlin. With a few notable exceptions (lab.oratory, Ajpnia, CDL, New Action, Fickstutenmarkt and not many others) sex clubs in Berlin do not give out free condoms and lube (gleitgel).

Why the f*ck don't Berlin Aids-Hilfe and the other charities that are supposed to be preventing HIV/AIDS get organised and get free condoms and lube in every sex club in Berlin? Why the f*ck don't insurance companies do it? Every case of HIV costs about 500 000 €.

Stadtfest / CSD - the plan

We've got everything you need to know for the Stadtfest and CSD coming up in June when Berlin goes very very gay. It starts on Thursday June 14 when they raise the gay flag at Rathaus Schöneberg and ends on Sunday June 24 with a few closing parties. Click the headline for an overview of the main events, click here for the Discodamaged pick of parties or here for Saturday and Sunday stages at the Stadtfest, including a printable version.

Discodamaged Exclusive on CSD

Yesterday Discodamaged had an exclusive interview in a suite at the Zoo hotel with the Berlin CSD organisers. First things first: CSD = Christopher Street Day = Gay Pride and the big gay parade is on Saturday 23 June. What did we find out? Most importantly there's the must have Joycard, then, it's not just a weekend it's a month, then Wissen schafft Akzeptanz, a huge list of events, the Civil Courage prize winners, Schwules Museum in English, Hirschfeld Tage and the Respect Games.

Propaganda CSD Truck 2012

Advance 35€ tickets are on sale for the Propaganda CSD truck. Price includes 'all drinks', DJs Stella Destroy, Divinity, Charlet Crackhouse, Niko Kröning and a ticket to the party at Zirkus later that night. Normal price 50€. Tickets here. 
Also available :
20 years Stadtfest - The Official Party. Saturday 16.6 10€
Official CSD Opening Party. Friday 22.06 10€
Zirkus CSD Edition - Main Party for CSD. Saturday  23.6 10-15€

Berlin gay Pride / CSD: Parade route

The CSD (Berlin gay pride) route has been chosen 2012. It's very different from previous years starting from Prinzen Strasse in Kreuzberg. From there it goes West to Hallesches Tor, up past the Homo memorial in Tiergarten and spirals in around Brandenburg Gate, the final destination. Click the headline for more CSD events.

Gay ban in Hungary?

On the heels of the police ban of gay pride in Budapest, the Jobbik party, third largest in the Hungarian 'parliament', have proposed a law that would ban any homo-display in public, such as holding hands, close all gay clubs and bars and ban any portrayal of gays in the media. The penalty for breaking this law would be up to eight years in jail or a 500€ fine. Perhaps Hungary should get out of the EU and rejoin its beloved Soviet Union. More in German at queer.de.

Some better news: A Budapest judge has reversed the police ban on Budapest gay pride.

Budapest Gay Pride banned

The police in Budapest, capital of Hungary, have banned gay pride there on June 7 because "it will disturb traffic". The organisers have responded with this video:

Hungary is in the EU and they have been busy banning journalists, opposition politicians and more. What next?

GAY PRIDE NEW ROUTE - PROBABLY

Due to Berlin Fashion Week occupying the 'fan mile' from the Siegessäule to Brandenburg Tor on June 23, the Berlin CSD / Gay pride must change its route. It will probably be starting at Alexanderplatz and making its way to Brandenburger Tor. The shoppers in Kurfürstendamm will miss us!

BRITS SAY NO TO TURING PARDON

Her majesty's government has rejected calls for computer pioneer Alan Turing, who is to be honoured at Berlin gay prisde, to be granted an official pardon for convictions for homosexuality dating back to the 1950s, the BBC reports.

BIG GAY BERLIN DATES 2012

They are pretty mean with holidays in Berlin - but then hardly anybody works so who cares? What big dates have we got this year? Something at Easter, then three holidays in May, one in October for reunification and then nothing until Christmas - there are more gay holidays than official holidays:

Big gay parties Berlin 2012
Easter Saturday 7th April Snax
at Berghain / lab.oratory http://www.snax-club.de/
+ BLF Leather & Fetish Week April 4th-10th http://www.blf.de/

16-17th June – Gay / Lesbian Street party
(Strassenfest / Stadtfest) in Schöneberg: http://www.regenbogenfonds.de/

23rd June – Berlin gay Pride / CSD
CSD = Christopher Street Day: http://www.csd-berlin.de/ 
 
Mid August - Gay lesbian bi Parkfest
in Volkspark Friedrichshain
http://www.parkfest-friedrichshain.de/ 
 
Early September - Folsom Europe
http://www.folsom-europe.info/
 
Late October - Hustlaball 
http://www.hustlaball.de/

Official Holidays
Fri Apr 6, Easter Friday / Karfreitag
Mon Apr 9, Easter Monday / Ostermontag
Tue May 1, Labour day / Tag der Arbeit / Maifeiertag
Thu May 17, Ascension / Christi Himmelfahrt
Mon May 28, Pentecost / Pfingstmontag
Wed Oct 3, Reunification day / Tag der Deutschen Einheit

GAY PRIDE REMEMBERS ALAN TURING

Berlin CSD (Gay pride) 2012 will honour Alan Turing the gay British mathematician, computer pioneer and code breaker who was busted for gross indecency in 1952 and committed suicide two years later. 2012's motto will be "Wissen schafft Akzeptanz" - 'Knowledge brings acceptance'.

Berlin CSD hits us 23 June 2012, Turing's 100^th anniversary, with the big street party the week before. Two years ago the British government gave a belated apology to Alan Turing. Read here on damaged.

More on the Alan Turing year at http://www.turingcentenary.eu/

ADS AND JACKI IN NOVEMBER

ADS November listings including gay club Cocktail D`Amour on Friday 4.11, Purge Thursday 10.11 and 8 years Ostfunk on Saturday 12.11.  Also includes Chez Jacki and Josef. Click the headline for details. All three are at An der Schillingbrücke / Stralauer Platz. Parties in the gay Berlin calendar.