Sunday marked our last day at Stadtfest, the annual open air LGBTQ festival featuring live music, food, drink, and a wide array of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender projects, groups and organizations. Nestled in the sea of tents and people stood the Democrats Abroad booth, where visitors spun “The Wheel of Democracy” that offered prizes for answering bizarre trivia questions about the United States. Among all the joy and celebration, Americans and non-Americans alike inevitably expressed their sense of fear over the implications of Trump’s presidency and the uncertainty of his impact in global politics. However, Stadtfest served as a testimony to the resilience of communities whose livelihood and well being are endangered by the rise in right wing sentiment globally. Stadtfest celebrated visibility, and the right to exist and thrive without fear.
Although we lost our tent Saturday night to a powerful thunderstorm, volunteers rallied that night and the following morning to make do with what we had. We chatted with many folks who expressed excitement about being proactive in the U.S. government through voting despite being geographically far. A big thank you to our volunteers this weekend who helped make our outreach efforts successful and we look forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming events posted on our webpage!