Brochure for new citizens

Embracing diversity | 45 44 | Embracing diversity As a Rainbow City , Heidelberg is taking decisive steps to strengthen LGBTIQ+. Since 2016, the members of the “Sexual and Gender Diversity Round Table” have been advising the city administration. Around 15 local LGBTIQ+ initiatives contribute their expertise here in order to work out fundamental and current problems of LGBTIQ+ and to counteract exclusion and disadvantage through appropriate recommendations. With projects such as the Trans* Action Weeks Rhine-Neckar, the cities of Heidelberg and Mannheim offer a plat- form to raise awareness and educate about trans* persons and the diversity of gender identities and their forms of expression. With the Intercultural Center , Heidelberg is creating a place for cultural participation that promotes cohesion in the city‘s society and the integration of people with a history of migration through various participation formats and an intercultural program. With the “Interreligious Dialogue” , the city facilitates a successful exchange of religions in Heidelberg. In order to ensure that the interests of foreign residents are also heard, the Migration Advisory Council has had an advisory function in the city council for more than 20 years. Further information can be found at www.heidelberg.de/ integration . The City of Heidelberg is intensively committed to the equal partici- pation and self-determination of people with disabilities. This includes barrier-free communication as well as comprehensive counseling and care services, the “Wohnberatung” (housing counseling) as a specialist office for barrier-free planning, building, and living, or the improvement of mobility, for example through the wheelchair cab. The municipal representative for the disabled is the primary contact person for concerns of people with disabilities and their relatives and also advises the administration on matters of inclusion. Contact: behindertenbeauftragte@heidelberg.de , 06221 58-15590. Further information at www.heidelberg.de/inklusion . Embracing diversity Heidelberg is diverse: people from 180 nations, with different gender and sexual identities, old and young, people with and without disabilities live here. With numerous offers, measures and projects, the city is working with many partners to ensure that all people here have the same opportunities and can feel at home in Heidelberg.