Esslingen - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Esslingen has no queer bars or cafés of its own. Queer life in the town is organised mainly through one association: QueerES e.V. works for visibility and against discrimination, runs the local Pride and holds regular meetups throughout the year. The group describes itself as open to queer people and their allies from Esslingen and the surrounding area.

For adults there is the over-30 meetup, held on the third Friday of every month at Komma, a youth and cultural centre in the Maille area. It is meant for everyone over 30, whether they have been out for decades or are still figuring things out. The room is on the ground floor and can be reached step-free through the courtyard.

The queer youth group is for young people aged 14 to 27. It meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Kulturpalast of the city youth council on Stuttgarter Straße. The evenings are for talking, joint activities or simply hanging out together, and anyone with questions about being queer is welcome too.

On top of that there are open planning meetings where anyone can help shape the next Pride, as well as game nights and association parties. The group sometimes appears at other places in town, such as Poppinski, a shop with a café on Küferstraße in the old town, which has hosted information stands and a book reading. Dates are posted on the association's website, on Instagram and in its WhatsApp community.

For a wider choice of bars, clubs and support services, the place to go is Stuttgart. Esslingen belongs to the Stuttgart region, and the state capital is the nearest larger city with its own queer scene.