Berlin’s first drag march brings protest, pride and flamboyant celebration to the streets

BERLIN (AP) — Drag queen Sister Daphne OSPI pushed aside her pink veil, fluttered her long purple eyelashes and raised her hands to bless the crowd at Berlin’s first drag march.

She was among the organizers of Friday afternoon's event, which served as the opening act for one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected Saturday to join Berlin's pride parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day.

“Every step is a declaration, every kiss an act of revolution, every wig is a war cry,” she said as some 500 drag queens, drag kings and LGBTQ+ supporters cheered before marching and dancing through the city to the music of the Transophonix brass band.

The band played “Das lila Lied,” or “The Lavender Song,” an anthem of the gay rights movement from the 1920s, as performers in high heels, glittering dresses and flamboyant makeup passed the Reichstag parliament building and continued to the Brandenburg Gate.

“We’re combining protest and resistance with joy and celebration,” Sister Daphne said. "That’s what makes us so unique and that’s also what makes our demonstrations so popular.”

Berlin's annual Pride celebration commemorates the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York, which began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.

Sister Daphne belongs to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ group made up mostly of people who dress flamboyantly as nuns. She said she was delighted that hundreds attended the march and that more and more joined as it moved through Berlin.

The organization was founded in San Francisco in 1979, and its German branch was established in 1991.

“Usually, we sisters are out and about in the nightlife scene, handing out safer-sex materials and collecting donations for people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as for queer projects," Sister Daphne said. “Or we’re out at Pride parades, all over the country — across Germany, and sometimes even throughout Europe.”

On Friday, Sister Daphne had a wide smile on her face, which was painted white, as she raised her left fist in a gesture of protest and pride.

“It brings me incredible joy to get ready, put on my makeup and get into the right mindset,” she said. “I really enjoy being out and about the way I am.”