Leuphana initiatives take a stand against anti-feminism

The main purpose of QuARG: Queer, Awareness, Equal Rights and Gender Matters, a department of the AStA, is to represent queer-feminist interests. “We provide a platform to A) be a point of contact for all students and B) support other groups and their projects because we have resources and opportunities that many don't have,” explains Lyth. QuARG therefore focuses primarily on networking and would like to give others a stage, such as at the queer lecture series they organize, which consists of workshops, lectures, dance events, a queer performance and much more. "Even at universities, there can be assaults, queer-hostile insults or structures in which queer people are discriminated against or marginalized. It is important for us to show our presence and let students know: We see you and try to stand up for your interests," says Lyth.

"Nationwide, the idea of Students Against the Right is to strongly oppose the AfD, create a society based on solidarity and promote social justice. As part of this, many students against the right have held door-to-door talks and door-to-door campaigning," says Selma. Before the 2025 federal election, the students went from house to house in Lüneburg and talked to people about politics and their concerns. “There was more need to talk than I would have expected personally,” says Lissi, emphasizing that the initiative was primarily about listening. “One encounter with a mother of three children was particularly exciting,” Lissi recalls. "She told us that she wanted to vote for the AfD because she no longer felt comfortable being a woman on the streets. We then tried to explain to her that the AfD doesn't do anything feminist to change that."

Urli - independent radical linx is the left-wing list of the student parliament (StuPa) and focuses primarily on topics such as anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, feminism and sustainability - in university politics, but also in social coexistence. “We take a practical approach and organize many very different activities, such as walks where we talk about the political situation together, a screening of a film about abortion and repressive violence followed by discussions or events especially for FLINTA people, such as writing workshops and open stages,” explains Noemi. Networking between other groups, such as the Open Feminist Meeting (OFT), is particularly important to urli. Taking a clear stance against anti-feminism is therefore also part of the initiative's self-image: "In times when fascism is on the rise again, anti-feminist tendencies are also on the rise. We therefore try to combine the feminist struggle with anti-fascist work in every event and in everything we do," says Frida.