COLORFUL CROSSWALK SETS A SIGN

23.06.2021 | General

In the city of Kufstein there is a rainbow crowalk since mid-June, which is a sign of tolerance and against discrimination. As an educational institution, the FH Kufstein Tirol has been promoting this important topic since 2015.

Since Sunday, June 11th, 2021, the crosswalk in front of the main entrance of the Inntalcenter has been illuminated in bright colors. The idea came from different sides, the youth council, the Junge Generation and the business project Q+ You. The latter was organized for the first time in 2020 by students from the FH Kufstein Tirol with the aim of creating awareness and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community and strengthening the sense of community in the region. The letters stand for the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities in society.

WAY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Diversity (LGBTQIA +) is traditionally celebrated worldwide in June, the so-called Pride month. People go on the streets, celebrate for the rights they have and fight for those which they do not have yet. In Austria, for example, it is still not easy to start a family for a non-heterosexual couple. Homosexual people have only been allowed to marry since 2019. This means that Austria is still doing well in a global comparison. Rainbow crosswalks, flags, and parades are intended to remedy the persistent injustice by drawing even more attention to this socially important issue. “As the zebra crossing in Kufstein has shown, this public presence leads to people talking about the topic. That's exactly what it takes for positive change. After just a few days, this goal was already achieved,” says Anna Ballreich, business project group Q + You 2021.

NEXT GOALS

The next goal is for people to take the topic seriously and find out what LGBTQIA+ means. To understand what rights there are and what not and what heterosexual cis people can do to not only tolerate the rainbow community, but also to support it.

A first step in gaining this understanding and awareness can be achieved by visiting the audiovisual exhibition 'Portraits of the LGBTQIA + Community'. The exhibition of the Q+ You project can be visited until June 30th, 2021 in the bridge between the Inntalcenter and the Kufstein Galerien.

Commitment by the FH KUFSTEIN TIROL

The University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tyrol has been campaigning for inclusion, gender mainstreaming & diversity management for several years. Since 2018, students have been organizing the Diversity Matters event, which deals with different areas of gender mainstreaming, inclusion and diversity management every year. Last year a group of students launched the Q+ You project. As part of its activities, the FH Kufstein Tirol makes its contribution to actively campaigning for the elimination of existing disadvantages in society and for the design of learning and working environments in which diversity plays an enriching role. The aim of the activities is to offer students and employees equal opportunities - regardless of gender, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or social background.

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