A car park in Germany has sparked a debate after building "diversity" spaces for LGBTQ+ drivers and migrants.
Located in Hanau, Germany, the underground car park was built by Hanauer Parkhaus GmbH (HPG) to offer a safe space to some of society's most vulnerable, per Daily Mail.
Thomas Morlock, the chairman of the supervisory board of HPG and a city councilor, said at the inauguration of the three new parking spaces that they were made for those with "a special need for protection."
However, Daily Mail adds that it's not yet known how authorities plan to ensure that the spaces are used by their intended audience.
Morlock, in fact, said that the spaces were created as a "conspicuously colorful symbol" for "diversity and tolerance", and that they don't necessarily have to be used by a "separate group of people."
But while the car park was created with the best of intentions, it has sparked a debate on social media about whether or not it is actually creating a safe space for migrants and LGBTQ+ people.
Reacting to the story on Twitter, one person wrote: "LGBT people are people, we shouldn't be treating them differently from others. Although the intentions here are good. We’re now separating ourselves by parking spaces. Dear lord."
A second wrote: "Why? They don't want to be different they just want to be treated the same."
A third added: "This screams 'Discrimination'!!! At this point in time, I'm beginning to wonder if these officials are just trying to annoy the majority [sic]."
A fourth wrote: "1. Sure fire way you get your car vandalized by the mindless. 2.Pointless segregation 3. How on earth can this be monitored and finally no one would really want this. [sic]"
Meanwhile, a fifth added: "This is Horrendous!! Talk about pointing them out and making them [an] easy target [sic]."
Germany's Federal Statistical Office reports that there were 1.5 million people with a refugee background living in Germany in 2015.
Hanau, meanwhile, as per the Daily Mail, has long been considered an ethnically diverse place long before the refugee crisis of 2015 that brought many migrants to the country.
