The target group is the age group between 13 and 27 years old. The mayor of the district believes that this is a big step towards acceptance and diversity. Vienna supports the project with 357,000 euros.

A queer youth center will be established in Vienna's Ottakring district, famous for its brewery (16th district), on 350 square meters. The municipality of the province of Vienna provides 357,000 euros for the establishment of the institution - wrote the piros7.es Felvidé news portal .

The establishment of such a center was voted for by the provincial parliament in the previous cycle - with the votes of SPÖ, the Greens and NEOS. So far, the preparatory work has been ongoing, in which the prestigious scientific institute Institut für Höhere Studien was also involved. The opening may take place in 2024.

The target group is the age group between 13 and 27 years old.

The organizer is the association "Q:Wir - Verein zur Stärkung und Sichtbarmachung queeren Lebens in Wien". (Literally translated 'Q:wir / this is a play on words, as it plays on the combination of the word queer and the German "we" (wir)/ - Association for the Strengthening and Visibility of Queer Life in Vienna).

In a sharp press release, the Freedom Party came out against the plan to be finalized in the parliament on Tuesday, using as a deterrent example gender reassignment surgeries performed in the USA already in adolescence (e.g. hormone blockers taken as a teenager, mastectomy, etc.) and also criticized the financial implications of the case, given the current inflationary situation.

Based on the balance of power in the provincial parliament, the final vote on Tuesday is only a formality.

The bar on the ground floor of Ottakring is a safe place for LGBTIQ young people, where they can receive professional support as part of the open work with children and young people, reports wien.orf.at.

The capital of the rainbow

"As the first queer youth center in Austria, Vienna is leading the way as the rainbow capital: LGBTIQ young people have specific counseling needs, which we meet through professional support and exchange of ideas with their peers in a way that young people deserve. We offer protection, strengthen diversity and give it space," emphasizes Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS).

According to Nicole Berger-Krotsch, the spokeswoman for education of the SPÖ in Vienna, the city's appreciation for a particular community can always be measured in the space provided. " That's why I'm especially proud that Vienna, as the capital of the rainbow, has now found the right place for its first queer youth center," says Berger-Krotsch.

The mayor of the district, Franz Prokop, believes that this is a big step towards acceptance and diversity.

Cover image: Illustration / Photo: MTI/EPA/KEYSTONE/Martial Trezzini