Oberhausen - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Oberhausen is a city of around two hundred thousand people in the western Ruhr, but it has no gay bar, café or sauna of its own. Queer life here is organised less around venues and more around a few institutions, and for nightlife most people head to the larger neighbouring cities.

The most important permanent address is Aidshilfe Oberhausen on Marktstraße in the city centre. Besides its work on HIV and sexually transmitted infections, it runs a counselling service for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people of all ages and their relatives. Topics range from love and relationship conflicts to coming out, trouble with parents, school or work, and experiences of discrimination, violence or bullying. Counselling is available in person, by phone and by email, and the organisation offers regular HIV and STI testing. Its youth team runs sexual education workshops for school classes and youth groups and holds a youth consultation hour.

For young people, the self-managed youth and culture centre Druckluft on Am Förderturm is a good place to start. Its open youth area for people aged sixteen to twenty-seven offers a café, workshops, a vegan community dinner and a programme that explicitly includes queer parties, alongside concerts, karaoke and film nights.

The city's Pride march starts at Altmarkt and ends with a family festival on Ebertplatz in the theatre district. Theater Oberhausen is one of the partners in the organising alliance. For adults there is also an adult cinema with a gay area, EK2 on Grenzstraße.

Essen is the nearest city with a small gay scene, a handful of bars and two gay saunas.