Mayor Frank Klingebiel emphasizes: "Our city is colourful and diverse. People of different origins, cultures, religions, lifestyles and sexual orientations live here. It doesn't matter what they are, because our urban society is open and tolerant. The rainbow flag on today's International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) is intended to show this clearly."

The date of IDAHOT was chosen to commemorate May 17, 1990, when the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to remove homosexuality from its diagnostic code for diseases. At its meeting on February 22 last year, the Salzgitter City Council decided by a large majority that the rainbow flag should be raised annually on IDAHOT.