LSVD

LSVD+ (Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland), now known as LSVD+ – Verband Queere Vielfalt, is Germany’s largest LGBTIQ+ rights organisation and a leading voice for queer equality in German society. Founded in 1990 in Leipzig, the federation advocates for the legal rights, social recognition, and everyday wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer people across Germany.

For LGBTIQ+ expats living in Germany, LSVD+ provides a range of practical services and resources: counselling for individuals and families, legal information on topics such as partnership rights and recognition of same-sex relationships, and an extensive directory of local LGBTIQ+ groups and support services throughout the country.

LSVD+ also operates rainbow families counselling services and provides specific support for LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers through its Queer Refugees Deutschland project. The organisation actively monitors and reports on anti-discrimination and hate crime, and engages with political institutions at the federal and European level.

With offices in Cologne and Berlin and a nationwide network of affiliated groups, LSVD+ is a central resource for any LGBTIQ+ expat looking to connect with the queer community or access support in Germany.