Finding Queer Youth Groups in Germany: Lambda, SchLAu and What Helps in the Countryside

Why queer young people need places of their own

If you realise at 14 or 16 that you are not straight, or that the gender on your ID does not fit, you rarely know anyone who lives it the same way. At home, in class or at the sports club, the subject often stays unspoken. Queer youth groups exist for exactly this: a room where nobody has to explain why they are there. This article shows how the network in Germany is built, where to find groups and what you can do where none exists. The details are as of October 2026 and follow the organisations' own websites and press reports.

Lambda, the national youth association

Lambda describes itself as the national queer youth association, a self-organised group of queer young people that has existed since 1990. Its website addresses young people who are lesbian, gay, bi, trans*, inter*, queer or still unsure. It offers, among other things:

• Queersupport: peer support online at queersupport.de and through group meetings.
• lambda space: a digital youth centre.
• out!: a youth magazine that can be read online for free.
• Counselling on the Self-Determination Act (SBGG).
• Events and workshops at varying dates.

The front page gives no street addresses. It points to a sub-page called "Mitgliedsgruppen" (member groups) and to the Queersupport meetings. Lambda also says the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has cancelled its funding at the end of the year, and the association is asking for support. Offers may therefore change, so check the current site before you visit.

The gap between city and countryside

Where there is a big scene, there are usually youth groups. In rural areas they are often missing. A 2024 study by the Bavarian Youth Council, "How are you?", found a large urban-rural gap in provision, according to a report by the church news agency epd. The report gives no figures.

Bavaria responded with a project called "QueerStart", which began on 17 January 2025. Its sponsor is Jugendnetzwerk Lambda Bayern, the umbrella body for queer youth groups in the state. The aim is to found new groups and support existing ones, especially in rural regions, where queer young people otherwise have to travel far. Bavaria's social ministry funded the project with 90,000 euros, limited to the end of 2025. The sources available did not make clear whether and how it continues.

SchLAu in schools

Alongside groups, there are education projects that visit schools and youth facilities. The best-known example is SchLAu. In North Rhine-Westphalia it is a network of local groups working against homophobia and transphobia. Volunteers lead the workshops, and each visit is agreed with teachers beforehand so that the material suits the age group. According to a state government press release of 30 October 2015, there were 18 local projects and around 200 volunteers at the time. In 2014 there were about 300 workshops with 8,300 participants. These figures are more than ten years old, and the release does not say how many there are today.

For teachers and parents: if you want a workshop for a class, ask the head teacher and look for the SchLAu group in your federal state. No national list of verified contacts could be found, and the address schlau.org redirected to an unrelated site when we checked, so it is not a usable contact point.

How to find a group near you

1. Ask the youth office or the city youth council. They can tell you whether there are queer offers in your region.
2. Look at Lambda. The member groups page is the best national starting point.
3. Use Queersupport online. If there is no group nearby, you can still find company there.
4. Talk to the school or the youth centre. Staff there may know whether something exists locally.

If there is no group

QueerStart shows one way to do it: first a needs survey in the regions, then training for group leaders and the founding of the first groups. If you live in Bavaria and want to start a group, ask Lambda Bayern. Elsewhere, put the same question to the state association or the local youth centre and ask whether a queer meet-up would be possible. Adults who want to help can ask there too.

A group is not a substitute for counselling. If things escalate at home or you are in trouble, you need a counselling service or, in an emergency, the police. A youth group is often the first door, not the whole way.