CSD Zurich: An alternative space for queer visibility and resistance

Alongside the large Zurich Pride, there was also the CSD Zurich this year, a week later, as an alternative, more political, and less commercial event. We visited it and spoke with the organizers.

Text: Nina Petrovic

The Zurich Pride (CSD Zürich) was first held in 2021 – as a political response to the increasing commercialization and assimilation policies of Zurich Pride. Inspired by the original spirit of the Christopher Street Day movement, the CSD puts political content and queer resistance in the foreground – beyond corporate sponsorship and pinkwashing. The focus is on a queer-feminist, anti-capitalist, and intersectional perspective on queer life, as well as the goal of creating a space where marginalized voices are heard.

Loud, queer, in solidarity

On June 28, 2025, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) took place for the fourth time, under the motto "United in Resistance." Under a bright sun and 32 degrees Celsius, hundreds of people gathered at Ni Una Menos Square to march together through Zurich's city center, advocating for queer resistance, visibility, and solidarity. Throughout the day, various groups spoke, including Migra Queer, the Trans Safety Emergency Fund (TSEF), and the LGBTQIA+ Support Group. A highlight of the event was the drag performance by Tattjianna Big Tattas. The protest culminated in a collective celebration at the benefit party in the Rote Fabrik in the evening – loud, queer, and full of solidarity.

Two voices explaining why they are participating in the CSD Zurich demonstration:

Luciano (37), gay, lives in Zurich:

"I think it's good that there's also the CSD alongside Pride. I believe it's important that we remember why our struggle must continue, especially in light of current political developments. There's still a lot to change, and politics needs to move back into the spotlight."

Alina (25), lesbian, from Winterthur:

"Pride is too stressful and too loud for me. Christopher Street Day is much smaller and more welcoming. It almost feels like one big family. It's not about shows or corporations, but really about us."

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"Shared anger and queer joy can very well coexist."

The Zurich Pride (CSD Zürich) is organized by a small, dedicated collective that aims to create an alternative space to Zurich Pride. But how do they achieve this, and what motivates the people behind it? We spoke with Jo (29) and Aouline (26) from the collective.

How did the Zurich Pride Festival originate?

This stems from the frustration and dissatisfaction of many queer people with Zurich Pride, particularly due to its increasing commercialization, the strong corporate presence at the demonstration, and the Pride's increasingly unclear political stance. In our view, the desire for a non-commercial and more politically defined space has actually grown in recent years. Today, however, the Christopher Street Day (CSD) is more than just a critique of Pride. From the outset, it has been positioned as an alternative event, not a counter-event, as is often portrayed in the media.

What is the problem with the growing commercialization of Pride?

Pride has certain criteria for which companies are allowed to participate, such as how they address queer issues internally. From our perspective, however, these criteria are insufficient. Even if these companies employ fantastic, dedicated, queer teams, they still harm many other people. People accept the visibility and funding from these companies because it benefits our community. But this comes at the expense of other marginalized individuals. The intersectional aspect is missing. Furthermore, many of these companies engage in pinkwashing, using Pride's visibility to enhance their image. What we've seen more clearly this year is that this support is unreliable. As soon as the social and political landscape changes—as it is currently—these companies withdraw their sponsorship.

“ Zurich Pride has enormous visibility and reach, something we at CSD are far from achieving. This visibility is partly due to the presence of sponsors. But the question always arises: at whose expense does this happen? ”

Couldn't increased visibility through sponsorship also be an advantage for the community?

Zurich Pride has enormous visibility, a reach that we at Christopher Street Day (CSD) are far from achieving. This visibility is partly due to the presence of sponsors. But the question always arises: at whose expense does this happen? If you say it's solely about the visibility of queerness, then you have to consciously ignore a lot of things. For example, the damage many of these companies cause worldwide, or how multiply marginalized people feel when they find themselves at a Pride event where organizations like Pink Cops are participating. Sponsorship can certainly work, as long as you're willing to consciously exclude all of that. In the end, it's always a balancing act: how important is the visibility of queer people to us – and at what cost?

How is the CSD financed and would sponsorship be conceivable in the future?

We primarily finance ourselves through our benefit parties in the evenings and merchandise such as T-shirts and caps, which we've been selling for three years. Our expenses are, of course, not comparable to those of Zurich Pride. We're talking about four figures, not millions. Within this budget, we can easily run the CSD without sponsorship. It's not currently under consideration. We categorically rule out any collaboration with commercial companies, as this contradicts our principles. What might be open to discussion, however, is a partnership with NGOs.

Is a party also an act of protest?

Yes, of course, those two things aren't mutually exclusive at all. It's not politics or a party. In English, there's a wonderful term for this: "Queer Joy." Celebrating this Queer Joy together is incredibly defiant and also enormously political. We don't believe that everyone at Christopher Street Day or Pride should just run around the streets in anger and then go home angry again. Shared anger and shared Queer Joy can very well coexist.

You speak of the complete liberation of all queer people. What does that mean in concrete terms, and where does it begin?

That's a very difficult question, especially the one about where it begins. If you consider queerness in isolation, then complete liberation means being able to live out queerness in all its diversity without having to conform. It's not about being perceived as "normal" or "equal," but about queerness simply being allowed to exist without threat.

But many people first need the opportunity to even begin to explore their own queerness. When you're simultaneously battling war, displacement, poverty, racism, or other hardships, it's incredibly difficult. For them, the path to liberation begins with creating the fundamental conditions necessary to live their queerness freely.

How do you make marginalized voices visible?

An important point is not to view queerness in isolation, but to repeatedly emphasize that people don't just possess a single characteristic, but are often affected by complex forms of discrimination. At the same time, we ask ourselves very specifically: Who do we give a platform to? Who gives speeches at our events? Who performs at our parties? It's important to us to specifically give a platform to those people who wouldn't otherwise have this opportunity.

What have you achieved in four years of CSD?

The most important thing is that we've been able to create a space for ourselves that meets our needs. We consider this incredibly valuable. Our goal was never to become big and visible as quickly as possible. It's also a significant success that this space has been growing at a healthy and manageable pace for the past four years. On a societal level, we hope to stimulate thought, for example, on how societal and human crises are interconnected, why queer people also bear responsibility towards other marginalized groups, and whether sponsorship is always truly a positive thing.

" The stronger the shift to the right becomes, the more we hope that Pride might be able to let go of the demand to also satisfy the queer members of the SVP."

Is it conceivable that at some point in the future, two Pride events in Zurich could become one again – through cooperation or a meeting in the middle?

We can certainly meet on the left (laughs). We wouldn't say it's never possible, but we don't see it happening in the near future. The understanding of what we do isn't currently strong enough, and such a mix would probably end up being unsatisfactory for both sides.

A fundamental shift needs to occur. We are already observing some changes, however: Zurich Pride is also facing a significant funding shortfall this year. They are realizing that commercial sponsors are unreliable, especially during times of economic and political upheaval. Consequently, they are grappling with the question of future financing, and it will be interesting to see where this leads. Perhaps it will spark a change in thinking towards a less commercialized Pride. At the same time, we hope this will also bring about political change. The stronger the shift to the right becomes, the more we hope that Pride might be able to let go of the need to appeal to the queer factions within the Swiss People's Party (SVP).

How do you stay motivated – especially in light of the global shift to the right?

This makes our activism all the more important. Being active and experiencing resistance is less stressful for me than the effort of activism and the powerlessness of inaction. We often hear the question: what is such a demonstration supposed to achieve? For us, the answer is clear: an incredible amount! The preparations for Christopher Street Day can be very exhausting. But when the day finally arrives, it gives us an incredible amount of energy and strength.

At the same time, it is extremely important that we, within activist structures, address our own health and actively counteract burnout in activism. For us, it is crucial not to have performance expectations within our collectives, but rather to respect the resources and capacities of each individual.

" Although queer activism can be associated with headwinds and challenges in the current climate, the feeling of community ultimately prevails. "

What advice would you give to young queer people who want to get involved in politics?

First and foremost, we desperately need them. They shouldn't be afraid of not bringing enough to the table. Many come to the first meeting and say exactly that: "I can't do anything." We young queer people want to dispel this fear. They should simply dare to join in. Because none of us learned activism beforehand. We all just started somewhere. Simply bringing in new ideas and perspectives is incredibly valuable. And although queer activism can be fraught with resistance and require effort these days, the feeling of community ultimately prevails. That's why we're so happy when new young people find their way into activism, whether with us or elsewhere.

Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

Our motto this year is "United in Resistance," and somewhere near the end of our flyer it says: "We are and will remain many – always together, always resisting." This is something that is very important to us, both internally and externally. That we feel it ourselves and convey it to the world, but also that society doesn't forget us. Because we are here, we are many, and we will remain.