Freie Universität Berlin Devastated by the Deadly Attack at the Christopher Street Day Celebrations in Berlin
Jul 27, 2026
Flags at half-mast on Freie Universität’s campus
Image Credit: Freie Universität Berlin
Flags at half-mast on Freie Universität’s campus: The university expresses its condolences to the victims and stands in solidarity with all those affected by the attack
The university’s support.points are offering special consultations for members of Freie Universität Berlin who may wish to seek psychological counseling following the attack at the Christopher Street Day celebrations in Berlin.
In honor of Pride Month, a ceremony was held at Freie Universität Berlin on June 30, 2026, where members of the university community joined together to hoist the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag in front of the Henry Ford Building.
The speeches given at the event
Article from June 30, 2026
Promoting Queer Visibility and Protecting Academic Freedom
As part of Pride Month celebrations, a ceremony was held at Freie Universität Berlin last Tuesday to hoist the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag. The event was carried out in the spirit of promoting diversity, academic freedom, and queer visibility in turbulent times. Many members of the university and representatives from the Queer Staff Network participated in the ceremony.
“This year, perhaps more than before, it reminds us how closely diversity, academic freedom, and democratic values are connected,” said Professor Verena Blechinger-Talcott, Executive Vice President of Freie Universität Berlin, in her welcome address.
She added that queer communities have been experiencing increasing hostility across many parts of the world, and that this has even impacted international academic exchange. Here, she emphasized that academic freedom is not only about protecting ideas, but rather about protecting the very people who create, question, and share knowledge.
Professor Verena Blechinger-Talcott, Executive Vice President of Freie Universität Berlin, welcomes participants to the ceremony in front of the Henry Ford Building.
Image Credit: Constanze Kaul
Dr. Carolin Loysa, Diversity and Antidiscrimination Officer at Freie Universität Berlin, highlighted the importance of queer visibility: “Visibility means taking up space – and transforming it. It means saying: we are here, we belong, and we refuse to disappear.” She went on to say that the Pride flag did not just stand for queer visibility, but that it also served as a reminder that democratic achievements, human rights, and academic freedom are coming under fire and deserve protection. In this sense, diversity is not an add-on, but a democratic necessity.
On behalf of the Queer Staff Network, Pia Linscheid pointed to the fact that while the Pride flag is an important symbol, what it represented extended far beyond the occasion of the ceremony. “The visibility of the intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag stands for the visibility of queer rights and needs. Each and every one of us needs to make antidiscrimination a reality on an institutional level every single day,” she said.
Teamwork makes the dream work: The Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag was hoisted in front of the Henry Ford Building last Tuesday.
Image Credit: Constanze Kaul
With a view to the latest travel restrictions for trans*, inter*, non-binary, and agender people in the United States, Linscheid also posed the question of how universities should respond when researchers are no longer able to travel safely to international conferences because of their gender identity, or whether trans* students could go on a semester abroad without facing discrimination.
Freie Universität Berlin’s Queer Staff Network will also have a stand together with the Working Group on Queer Networks that forms part of the Diversity and Gender Equality Network (DiGENet) at Berlin’s annual Lesbian and Gay City Festival. Representatives will present these networks as well as research on queer issues being carried out within the Berlin University Alliance to a broad audience.