Boy from Bad Sooden-Allendorf: This is how it is to be pansexual!

Boy from Bad Sooden-Allendorf: This is how it is to be pansexual!

In Bad Sooden-Allendorf, 18-year-old Josephine Ziegler brings a breath of fresh air into the discussion about sexuality and identity. She came out as pansexual two years ago and has had an exciting journey since then. Her discovery process began in secondary school when she found a woman in an advertisement attractive. This realization opened her eyes to the diversity of sexuality and led her to search for answers, which she found through videos on YouTube about queer life. Josephine describes that her orientation is not about gender or appearance, but about personality and essence. She also sees herself as part of the tomboys and often dresses in typical male fashion, but does not identify as trans.

What is particularly remarkable is the support she receives from her circle of friends. Many of her friends are also part of the queer community, which gives her a sense of belonging and security. At school, however, the topic of queerness is rather poor. As Josephine reports, this is rarely discussed and a lot of information is mainly obtained via the Internet or through private conversations with friends. Nevertheless, she has not experienced any hostility so far and feels that the acceptance of queer lifestyles in rural areas is neutral.

Active for queer rights

Josephine is aware of her position in society and plans to become politically active to defend queer rights and raise awareness for queer people. This is also reflected in her involvement in the youth council of Bad Sooden-Allendorf, where she is actively involved in projects. She wants to establish queer life as social normality in schools, a demand that is particularly important given the widespread heteronormativity in society. Heteronormativity describes the idea that only heterosexual relationships are the norm, which leads to discrimination against other sexual orientations esquire.

Literature as an aid

The question of the visibility of queer identities permeates social discussion and is also illuminated in children's and youth literature. A bachelor's thesis examined this representation, especially in times when many young people are searching for their identity. The study shows that queer lifestyles are often stigmatized in literature and find little space - if they are present, then often only in stereotypical representations. It is important to provide more support to queer clients in child and youth welfare, as they often struggle with excessive demands in a heteronormative society, which is reflected in the work of the CUBI is discussed.

Finally, it should be noted: Josephine Ziegler is an example of how important visibility and acceptance of queer identities are. With her commitment and openness, she shows that it's your inner attitude and personality that matter - not just external characteristics. Your voice could make a valuable contribution to ensuring that queer life is seen as normal and natural in society.