Shadi Amin’s speech at the pride of Stuttgart

On July 29, 2023, the Pride of Stuttgart was held in Germany with more than 500,000 people. 6rang and the group “For the sake of love” showed solidarity and reflection of the voice of the LGBT+ community of Iran in the pride parade of Stuttgart. Shadi Amin, head of 6rang Network, was one of the five main speakers at the Stuttgart Pride tonight.

One hundred thirty groups and more than 500 thousand people have participated in this parade. The motto of this year’s pride in Germany is “Not with us! Together, we are stronger and safer.”

Activists of the LGBT+ field in Germany vigorously defend the rights of the members of this community in the political, social, cultural, etc., fields and still believe that unity and solidarity are the way to our salvation. A society that has the experience of systematic killing during the fascism of Nazi Germany, by reminding the history, constantly warns the community to be careful not to make its big mistakes.

During the Nazi regime in Germany, paragraph 175 of the law put homosexuals at risk of arrest, imprisonment, and death. Homosexual men, women, and trans people were imprisoned and transferred to forced labour camps under the pretext of endangering the sacred family system and repression and labelled as “anti-social” and “dangerous to social security.”

According to statistics, nearly 100,000 homosexuals were persecuted, exiled, escaped, or imprisoned under the brutal repression of the Nazi regime, and about 50,000 were killed. Today, German society stands against this petrification with all its strength.

For this reason, by condemning the brutal repression of the LGBT+ community by the Islamic Republic, the “For Love” group has declared its solidarity with the LGBT+ community of Iran to confront what happened in their history and is happening in Iran. 6rang and a group of Iranians have participated in this parade.