Many, many thanks to Änf Ys for translating our call from German to English!

Disabled and mad celebrating – allicipating instead of participating "Ganzhabe statt Teilhabe" - Pride Parade

Freaks and cripples, weirdos and lames, bull-headed and blind, deaf and normally disturbed – come with us onto the streets and celebrate the fourth „behindert und verrückt feiern (mad and disability)“ pride parade!

There will be a lot of talking on inclusion, equality, self-determination and participation, especially before election. But the world looks different! The terms were shaped by excluding and suppressing groups. They are being reframed and abused more and more also by the oppressors through throwing us some crumbs and call it participation (Teilhabe). Because of this we demand:

allicipate instead of participate! (ganzhaben statt teilhaben!)

For every station in life of disabled and mad people there exist institutions, from special education schools and workshops for disabled people to residential and care homes, respectively living groups, not only in age. The problem with it is that all these institutins hardly contribute to diabled and crazy people having an easier time living a life according to their wishes. Instead they live in special worlds. In the best case they are being accompaied by by dedicated people, however too often only coffered. Life in such institutions follows an other-directed, often strict, daily routine. Even going to the toilette is only possible in coordination with other home residents. Individual leisure activities outside of the institution is almost impossible. That is an unreasonable restriction of freedom, and these conditions can oftentimes be life-threatening. There are ways to leave these rutted paths and live a life as self-determined as possible – for example by means of personal assistance. Whoever needs personal assistance for living, often has to fight for it and justify their whole life. Many assistance takers live with the fear of being forced to a life in a special-care home, because institutions find personal assistance too expensive. Many hoped that a „Bundesteilhabegesetz“ (federal law of participation) might change that. The law that has been voted in last year however, didn't fulfill these justified expectations. Moreover new possibilities have been created to prevent self-determined life. We want that everybody is able to live how she*he wants to. We want the full participation! Institutions have to be made redundant and shut.

But institutions like psychiatry apparently haven't worn out by a long shot. In Berlin the number of compulsory admissions have more than doubled in ten years. Only again in June 2016 with the new „Psychisch-Kranken-Gesetz (PsychKG)“ law of the mentally ill compulsory treatment has been legalized again. The law allows for people with psychiatric diagnoses in cases of acute self- or external threat to be insitutionalized against their will. For this already a suspicion is sufficient to commit and detain them for an uncertain amount of time. The affected people have no choice whether they will be „treated“ with medication and psychotherapy. Mostly psychotropic drugs are being administered to them by coercion. And that even though the Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) has prohibited psychiatric compulsory treatments e.g. via psychotropic drugs or electroshocks. With the PsychKG an unequal treatment of people with psychiatric diagnoses is being manifested. Simultaneously it authorizes doctors to undertake compulsory treatments which the UN Committee for the Rights of People with Diasabilities has classified as torture.

The same UN committee also noted that the health care of asylum-seeking and fled people with diasabilities in Germany is not sufficient. Alarmingly often refugees commit suicide. Which doesn't surprise taking into account the reports of bad conditions in refugee shelters: no private sphere, bad hygiene, and despite traumatic experiences almost no access to psychological reprocessing. At the same time the fled people are confronted with a society in which racist marches are happening constantly and right agitation from Pegida, AfD etc. is being normalized. The successes of AfD and attacks of the right on refugee accomodations and left facilities create a climate of fear. Those in power oppose this only seemingly. Instead they toughen asylum law and deport an increasing amount of people. Those who don't comply with the norm are still being excluded and experience violence.

Until this day we live in a society that only allows for men and women to exist, and which through looks and behaviors are supposed to be distinguished clearly. Those people that don't match into this idea are still being discriminated against. Some are by means of psychiatric diagnoses described as sick or people with disorders. Others have been exposed to surgical intrusions as kids in order to conform to society's rigid concepts, and until today are dealing with consequences for their health. All these people often miss the understanding of family and friends. Public figures and places to go for help or advice are missing.

We are indeed aware that not all feel like celebrating. Many are are not being granted the support they would need in order to participate in the demonstration. Many are not allowed to travel to the demo or to enter the country.

We want a society which dismantles barriers and doesn't separate out people as „sick“, „disturbed“, or „abnormal“. In capitalism coercion of functioning prevails and what we – also for those which long have been written off. We however want to live self-determined. We want to be recognized no matter how we are or what we achieve. We resist against being confined in psychiatries, having to work in workshops for disabled people and to live in care homes. Instead we demand real accessibility, allicitation (ganzhabe), assistance inclusion and respect. That means for example that we can reach every U-Bahn station and dance in each club, don't need to hide a hospitalization in our CVs and are not being exploited in a company as an embodiment of inclusion.

For all this and for the whole bakery - instead of just a few crumbs – we take the streets on Saturday, July 15th 2017.
There we will show ourselves, how we are – crazy, hobbling, weird, scared, lame, dysfluent, odd, outlandish and strange.

And because of this:

Dare to ask for what you need and what you deserve!

Show your longings, aspirations, your desire!

And celebrate with us disabled and crazy - „behindert und verrückt“ !

So that you are feeling well at the parade, we try to make it as accessible as possible: At the start as well as at the end there are wheelchair-accessible toilets. There is a supporter's team which you can approach, and possibilities to rest. The speeches will be (held in German I suppose, remark of the translator [Pride Parade Orga: Sadly, you are right.]) translated into German sign language. Come all!