The President of the Bundestag, Julia Klöckner (CDU), announced that the Rainbow Flag will once again be hoisted over the Bundestag this Sunday to mark the International Day Against Homo-, Bi-, Inter-, and Trans-phobia.
According to the parliamentary statement, the focus is on the specific legislative and historical basis for the chosen date. Klöckner stressed that the flag would be displayed on May 17th, citing a direct parliamentary connection. She explained that on May 17, 2002, the Bundestag resolved to rehabilitate homosexual victims of Nazi justice, and this day is also designated as the International Day Against Homophobia. Consequently, the flag honoring this occasion will be displayed on May 17th rather than on Berlin’s traditional Christopher Street Day.
Internationally, May 17th symbolizes the fight against discrimination and the acceptance of varied lifestyles. This observance is also linked to the World Health Organization’s decision on May 17, 1990, to remove homosexuality from its diagnostic classification system.
The Bundestagspräsidentin also took the opportunity to address the significance of the national flag. She stated that the Black-Red-Gold colors represent the foundational order of the Basic Law-standing for freedom, human dignity, and equality before the law. She emphasized that this constitutional framework necessarily includes every person’s right to sexual self-determination, with the national flag serving as the umbrella under which these rights apply to all citizens.
The Bundestag clarified that, according to current federal flag regulations, the Rainbow Flag is permitted to be displayed only once per year at federal buildings. For this reason, Klöckner opted to select a date possessing explicit parliamentary relevance rather than celebrating the Berlin Christopher Street Day.