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Zurich cemetery devotes section to LGBTQ community (www.swissinfo.ch)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Many people want to remain close to their loved ones after death. This is also true for members of the LGBTQ community. Soon they will have their own burial ground in Zurich.

When you enter the Sihlfeld Cemetery, you are greeted by a tree-lined boulevard. All that can be heard is the rustling of branches swaying in the wind and the chirping of birds. It is easy to forget one is within the noisy city centre of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city.

In a small corner of the largest public cemetery in the city, which covers an area of 280,000 square metres, a section for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning and/or queer) people is being carved out. Backers of the project see this as an act of affirmation rather than segretation.

The Rainbow Rest project was launched in February last year by several queer organisations keen to provide a final resting place for people from the LGBTQ community. The first in Switzerland

Sihlfeld’s graveyard for LGBTQ people is the first of its kind in Switzerland.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

Not sure, definitly feels like segretation ...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What i don't understand is the mindset behind this. You're creating a special, separated section and will then seen as "special". But do people really want this? In my mind, it would be easier if everyone is treated and handled exactly the same - so no differences in ethnics, sexualities, color, etc.. Or am i wrong here?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Even if the segregation thing was not already a problem, it just feels weird in general.

"Lets go visit dad in the gay cemetery, because his main character trait was being gay..."

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know what you mean, but maybe i am ignorant and completely wrong on this one but.. why do we need to segregate people from people? we're all humans. I know there are people that get discriminated for what they want to be or feel. But isn't it the wrong way to create something "especially for this group" because of this? Shouldn't we rather just normalize how we do things anyway?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't understand why people call it segregation.

There are military graveyards and nobody calls that segregation. If the headline read a graveyard for people who like the color blue nobody would call it segregation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Good point, but i would still call it segregation, because to me it somehow is - even if it only was because of people who like the color blue, still segregation. Because you put these people in a "special" box where people who like the color red do not fit in.

Edit: Typo

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Backers of the project see this as an act of affirmation rather than segretation.

This still kinda feels very wrong to me...

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