Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

‘That’s right straights, back of the bus!’: German car park ridiculed for installing rainbow-painted spaces for LGBT and migrants

‘That’s right straights, back of the bus!’: German car park ridiculed for installing rainbow-painted spaces for LGBT and migrants

A car park in Hanau, Germany has been mocked for setting aside three rainbow-colored parking spaces for LGBT drivers and migrants who have “a special need for protection and security in public spaces,” a local councillor said.

The wall alongside the three new ‘Diversity Spaces’ in the Hanauer Parkhaus is daubed in the rainbow colors of the ‘Pride’ flag, and the spaces – located nearest the multi-storey structure’s exit – are monitored by cameras. At an opening ceremony for the spaces last week, Hanau councillor Thomas Morlock said that the spaces are intended for LGBT people and migrants, and serve as a “conspicuously colorful symbol” for “diversity and tolerance.”


The initiative quickly drew criticism online. “Child and old age poverty, single mothers at their financial limit, pensioners who have to live on bottle deposits and leftovers from garbage cans,” one commenter tweeted, spelling out some of Germany’s social problems. “But for City Councilor Thomas Morlock in Hanau there is nothing more important than setting an example for tolerance.”

Others wondered why these groups were singled out for special treatment, while some simply tweeted expletives and clown emojis at the idea of “diversity spaces.”

Amid a storm of criticism, CSD Hanau, an LGBT advocacy group, suggested that locals may have been shocked by “too much tolerance.” However, the group said that the message behind the spaces had been “misunderstood,” and that anyone – gay, straight, German or foreign – could choose to park there “to take a stand against hate and exclusion.”

"The sometimes homophobic and xenophobic reactions make it clear that the action was right and necessary," Morlock added to the German Press Agency on Friday.

The spaces were inaugurated a week ago, but as the story hit the English-speaking world on Friday, the online reaction was equally negative.




Some commenters suggested that the idea may backfire, and that migrants from Islamic or other conservative cultures might not be too happy with being lumped in with gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.


The ‘Diversity Spaces’ are a new development in Hanau, but LGBT-themed crosswalks and intersections have been introduced in various Western countries, to similar reaction. These rainbow-colored street sections have been criticized by many as pointless virtue-signalling, and have in some cases become targets of vandalism.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×