The reality of the shift to the right
The Rosalinde association has been hit by severe financial cuts. In the new year, the vital counseling services for queer refugees are facing closure. Nevertheless, the association is fighting back.
On the 28th of October 2025, the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) decided to stop funding numerous integration projects, including the work of Rosalinde, an association that has been an integral part of refugee aid in Leipzig for many years. Rosalinde is active in various areas: Educationally, it offers workshops in schools to sensitize and educate young people about queer realities and discrimination. In addition, direct support for queer refugees in Leipzig is a particularly important part of their work; it is aimed primarily at people navigating Germany’s asylum system. Often, the first step is to clarify urgent legal questions: Can the person even apply for asylum? How does a hearing at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) work? Rosalinde’s staff also accompany their clients to hearings and, in the event of a negative decision, assist with communication with solicitors to enable legal proceedings.
In addition, there is the important area of psychosocial aid: the counseling and advisory services aim to provide refugees with support regarding their sexual orientation or gender identity. Tatiana Kulbakina from Rosalinde explains that the sessions often provide the first opportunities for the people to talk openly about their queer identity. Although the sessions cannot replace therapy, they are nevertheless invaluable in showing those affected the opportunities and prospects for networking with the queer community in Leipzig.
To what extend do the cuts affect Rosalinde directly? The association belongs to the project network Fachberatung für queere Geflüchtete in Sachsen (Specialised Counseling for Queer Refugees ins Saxony), which Rosalinde joined several years ago, together with the Gerede e.V. association and the LSVD (Lesbian and Gay association of Saxony). Through this alliance, counseling services for queer refugees can be accessed statewide. The network received most of its funding from the Saxon State Ministry of Social Affairs through the Förderrichtlinie Integrative Maßnahmen. The funds are administered by the Sächsische Aufbaubank and, according to the ministry, are intended to „contribute to […] improve equal participation of people with a migration background and to strengthen social cohesion between people with and without immigration backgrounds in Saxony’s increasingly diverse society.“ Leipzig magazine kreuzer reported that, instead of the expected 3.9 million euros in 2026, only 3 million will be available for the relevant funding pillar B. In the wake of this, the SAB announced at the end of October that only 21 of 91 application submitted for Saxon integration projects were approved; none of the six applications from the project network Fachberatung für queere Geflüchtete were among them. The rejection therefore affects not only the Leipzig-based Rosalinde association, but destroys the entire structure of support and counseling services for queer refugees throughout Saxony.
Even more troubling in this context: The Ministry of Social Affairs commissioned a report on the „Development of immigration and integration in Saxony“ from the research and consulting institute Empirica. The 200-page report contains only two sentences on the specific situation of queer refugees: „Various actors emphasize the importance of specific support for the integration of people belonging to the LGBTQI community. There is no reliable data sources on the site of this group.“ It is unclear to what extent these gaps in knowledge are related to the cuts, as according to the kreuzer-article, the Ministry of Social Affairs does not directly intervene in decisions on funding approvals or rejections: „The SAB makes the selection of funded projects alone.“ Nevertheless, the effects of the decision are drastic.
From January 2026, the specific services will be almost completely discontinued. Tatiana Kulbakina from Rosalinde states: „We are in crisis mode, trying to figure out how we can still meet the needs of queer refugees.“ In addition to attempting to outsource some of the demands to other, still existing structures, it is above all a political struggle: in mid-December, a demonstration took place in Dresden to draw attention to the precarious situation of the project network. A petition on the Rosalinde website is also still available.
In Kulbakina‘s view, the cuts are a reflection of a general shift to the right. This is alarming, given that such social cuts are taking place even under a government with social democratic participation. Kulbakina explains that contact with the ministry has always been good. Yet during the last joint meeting it became clear that further funding was no longer in sight. Kulbakina emphasizes the importance of civil society engagement against these developments: „It may be denial, but we are trying to fight. It is important that people talk about it everywhere. I don’t want us to have to save ourselves alone.“
Titelbild: Taisiia Lokteva
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