Rainbow in September

Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences stands for diversity, respect, and mutual appreciation. As an educational institution, we bear the responsibility to create an open and safe space for everyone—regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or lifestyle.

Christopher Street Day serves as a reminder that equality and acceptance cannot be taken for granted, but are the result of ongoing commitment. We support CSD in Zittau and Görlitz because we are convinced that participation, diversity, and equality enrich our university, our research, and our society.

Through our solidarity, we are taking a stand against discrimination and for an inclusive community. We want to encourage students, faculty, and staff to stand up for freedom and diversity.

“We are committed to ensuring that diversity is actively practiced and protected at our university and beyond. For this reason, we welcome queer projects and initiatives. We hope to foster an open culture of support, sustained by our university community and its partners in the city and society. It is important to us that our shared achievements are not constantly up for debate, so that we can focus more on removing barriers in the everyday lives of queer people,” adds Tom Richter from the HSZG Student Council (StuRa ).

As the Office for Gender Equality, Inclusion, Women’s Studies, and Diversity Research (AGIFD) at the HSZG, we are committed to creating non-discriminatory structures and enabling the equal participation of all students and staff. Equal opportunity is a central cross-cutting issue that affects study and working conditions just as much as it does teaching, research, and active participation in shaping society, the economy, and culture.

The voices, needs, and perspectives of the LGBTQIA+ community are, of course, an integral part of our cosmopolitan university community. Diversity is not only a social value but also an essential foundation for creativity, innovation, and scientific discovery. Different perspectives enrich discourse and help develop better solutions to the challenges of our time.

Cordula Lasner-Tietze, the HSZG’s equal opportunities officer, sums it up as follows: “Equality is a fundamental pillar of our democratic basic order and is therefore firmly rooted in social life. It is up to us to strengthen this framework of values and to advocate for it so that it becomes a reality for everyone.”