Regular T*räumchen consultation hours in Korbach

The first regular consultation hour of the T*räumchen counselling centre in Korbach starts on 6 March. Every first Thursday of the month, people seeking counselling can take advantage of the confidential service free of charge between 4 and 6 pm in Lengefelder Straße 6. T*räumchen mobil is a project by AIDS-Hilfe Kassel for gender diversity in North Hesse. The specialist service for women and equal opportunities in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg has thus realised the first concrete offer of T*räumchen mobil in North Hesse.

Eleven per cent of the German population see themselves as part of the LGBTIQ community. Statistically speaking, that would be over 17,000 queer people in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district. In rural areas in particular, however, queer life largely takes place in secret. "There is often a lack of so-called 'safer spaces' in rural areas, for example spaces for encounters, counselling, exchange and support. With the counselling services offered by the T*räumchen counselling centre, we want to create a first 'safer space' for all queer people in the district," said Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Councillor.

Despite some improvements in recent times, queer people still experience a lot of negativity. Discrimination, fear of rejection and structural hurdles are just three of the challenges they often face. As a support centre for queer people in the district, a counselling service is to be set up at the specialist service itself in future. Until then, from 6 March, queer people, trans*, inter*, a-gender and non-binary people or anyone who has questions about gender identity will be able to receive support and advice from the T*räumchen advice centre in the Dreiraum premises at Lengefelder Straße 6 in Korbach. "Our service is open to all people who have questions about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, to all family members and friends, as well as to anyone who comes into contact with these issues in their work. It is important to us to reach all those people who have no or only very limited opportunities to come to Kassel. The service is free of charge, anonymous on request and absolutely confidential; we are bound by professional secrecy," said the T*räumchen counselling centre.

Queer people in German-speaking countries suffer from increased psychological stress. For lesbian and gay people, the psychological stress in everyday life is around twice as high as for the general population. Sexual orientation or gender identity are not the cause of mental illness, but rather the associated experiences of direct or indirect discrimination and expectations of discrimination in family, school or work contexts. Experiences of stigmatisation and exclusion also increase the likelihood of mental illness. The T*räumchen counselling centre provides support with all the different issues such as coming out, transitioning and dealing with family and environment, thus offering a safe and confidential support service. For local questions and referral counselling, the Women and Equal Opportunities Service is already available as a support centre for queer people.

Caption: Every first Thursday of the month, the T*räumchen counselling centre offers free counselling at the Dreiraum premises in Lengefelderstraße in Korbach. (Photo: District of Waldeck-Frankenberg)

Keywords:

Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Specialist Service Women and Equal Opportunities LGBTQ*