'An Act of Intolerance and Homophobia': Berl Mayor Conmns Attack on Gay Memorial - DER SPIEGEL

Contents:

• BERL ELECTS GAY MAYOR
• BERL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR
• BERL POLICIAN ADMS HE IS GAY
• BERL’S OPENLY GAY MAYOR STEPS DOWN. THE AIRPORT’S A DISASTER, BUT THE CY IS COOL.
• QUEER & GAY BERL: YOUR GUI FOR LGBTQ+ BERL
• THE MAYOR IS GAY (AND THAT'S A GOOD THG): BERL MAYOR KLS WOWERE HAS E OM OBSCURY TO PROMENCE JT TWO YEARS, AND NOW HE IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMO OPENLY GAY POLICIANS THE WORLD. (GERMANY).
• 'AN ACT OF INTOLERANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA': BERL MAYOR CONMNS ATTACK ON GAY MEMORIAL
• RENNTRE GRATUE GAY à PARIS, (75)

BERL ELECTS GAY MAYOR

BERLIN -- Cy lawmakers elected Berl's first openly gay mayor Saturday, bolsterg the cy's crentials as one of the world's gay pals, a polil shift that also uld open the way for the former East German munists to enter the Wowere, a Social Democrat, tak over on an terim basis after the aln that led the cy for a llapsed amid a bank sndal and mountg shift removed the nservative Christian Democrats, led by outgog Mayor Eberhard Diepgen, who had been the senr partners wh the center-left Social Democrats the aln formed soon after least until new electns this fall, Berl will be n by a aln of the Social Democrats and the Greens party mirrorg the ernment on the natnal level, led by Chancellor Gerhard Schroer. ''Wowere, 47, was a ltle-known polil figure before grabbg natnwi attentn last weekend when he me out as gay at a party nventn before his nomatn. ``I am gay, and that's a good thg, '' he said, later admtg that he ma the statement bee of mors that tabloids were planng a story on his then, he has emphasized terviews that he's a ``polician who's gay, but not a gay polician'' and that he hasn't foced on gay issu.

Neverthels, Wowere's electn was greeted wh applse and some cheers when was announced Saturday at a street ftival Berl's Schoeneberg district, the heart of the cy's thrivg gay and lbian a booth for the lol branch of Germany's natnal Lbian and Gay Associatn, those attendg the ftival uld pay 65 cents for the chance to toss balls and knock over pictur of three nservative state ernors who oppose a new law givg greater legal stat to gay member Bodo Men, shoutg out to passers-by to take a crack at the lawmakers, said he hoped Wowere would take a leadg role phg the gay marriage law the upper hoe of parliament, where stat are symbolism is important Germany and the pal, also eastern Germany, '' Men said of Wowere's electn.

''The choice of Wowere was a further sign that Europe is creasgly at ease wh homosexuals polics g three months after Paris voters elected an openly gay 's history as a gay metropolis go back as far as the 19th century, when some historians say was the birthplace of the gay rights, the vibrant baret and theater scene of the 1920s and 1930s fueled the muny's growth.

BERL'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR

That all me to a halt after the Nazis took power 1933, eventually nmng homosexuals along wh Jews and Gypsi to ncentratn the war, Wt Berl's stat as a closed-off enclave where rints were granted an exceptn om the draft also led to a prospero left-wg scene where homosexualy wasn't taboo. B E R L I N, June 20, 2001 -- Cy lawmakers elected Berl's first openly gaymayor Saturday, bolsterg the cy's crentials as one of theworld's gay pals, a polil shift that also uld open theway for the former East German munists to enter the Wowere, a Social Democrat, tak over on an terimbasis after the aln that led the cy for a llapsed amid a bank sndal and mountg bts. "An Unknown Until Last WeekendWowere, 47, was a ltle-known polil figure beforegrabbg natnwi attentn last weekend when he me out as gayat a party nventn before his nomatn.

"I am gay, and that's a good thg, " he said, later admtgthat he ma the statement bee of mors that tabloids wereplanng a story on his homosexualy. Sce then, he has emphasized terviews that he's a"polician who's gay, but not a gay polician" — and that hehasn't foced on gay issu. Neverthels, Wowere's electn was greeted wh applse andsome cheers when was announced Saturday at a street ftival Berl's Schoeneberg district, the heart of the cy's thrivg gayand lbian scene.

At a booth for the lol branch of Germany's natnal Lbianand Gay Associatn, those attendg the ftival uld pay 65cents for the chance to toss balls and knock over pictur of threenservative state ernors who oppose a new law givg greaterlegal stat to gay Important Symbol for Germany's Gay Rights MovementBoard member Bodo Men, shoutg out to passers-by to take acrack at the lawmakers, said he hoped Wowere would take a leadgrole phg the gay marriage law the upper hoe ofparliament, where stat are reprented. " The choice of Wowere was a further sign that Europe iscreasgly at ease wh homosexuals polics — g threemonths after Paris voters elected an openly gay mayor.

BERL POLICIAN ADMS HE IS GAY

Berl's history as a gay metropolis go back as far as the19th century, when some historians say was the birthplace of thegay rights movement. That all me to a halt afterthe Nazis took power 1933, eventually nmng homosexualsalong wh Jews and Gypsi to ncentratn mps.

After the war, Wt Berl's stat as a closed-off enclavewhere rints were granted an exceptn om the draft also ledto a prospero left-wg scene where homosexualy wasn't taboo. "I'm gay and that's a good thg, " he told lleagu jt before they unanimoly voted him as their mayoral ndidate at the weekend.

BERL’S OPENLY GAY MAYOR STEPS DOWN. THE AIRPORT’S A DISASTER, BUT THE CY IS COOL.

"The handsome 47-year-old lawyer's remarks have tapulted him to the centre of attentn, leadg to lls om gay groups for other policians to out themselv. Liberal Berl has acted as a mag for gays om around the world for years, although sexualy has remaed an uneasy topic MP Volker Beck, one of the few policians to have e out, praised Mr Wowere's cisn. "He will bee eer and more self-nfint - by makg no secret out of he has protected himself om attack, " he Jetz, a spokman for the Lbian and Gay Unn, said he was pleased that the public had reacted so posively.

"Organisers of the Christopher Street Day gay para, held Berl every June, said other closeted policians should now seize the opportuny to e out. "The time is right, " said a spokman, alludg to the fact that several bet members and top policians are also wily believed to be Wowere admted that he took the cisn to e out bee he feared that some nservative tabloids were ready to e his sexualy as a weapon agast him the mayoral rponse to the spicn among some nservativ that his move was a PR stunt, several newspapers have said that they will not refer to his homosexualy future.

Berl Mayor Kls Wowere—the first high-profile openly gay German polician—has announced that he will end his 13 years office this December. Acrdg to Gay Travel, 1 10 of the cy’s rints are gay or bisexual, and unr the learship of the openly gay mayor, Berl has nsistently ranked as one of the top gay ci.

QUEER & GAY BERL: YOUR GUI FOR LGBTQ+ BERL

Disver prent-day Berl as one of the most open and tolerant ci the world – the gay, lbian and queer scene is flourishg the German pal. Startg wh the first gay fetish parti at Bergha, many Berl clubs and bars now celebrate queer, loud & proud, such as SchwuZ, Berl's largt LGBTQ+ club. Every summer the Pri Weeks are celebrated wh the Lbian-Gay Cy Ftival, CSD on the Spree and many other events.

You n also fd tips & ntacts for gays, lbians, bi-, trans- and tersexuals as well as anizatns that support the queer muny our practil .

Berl liv and breath diversy every rpect: we have gathered practil rmatn, tips and pots of ntact for gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr and tersexual people. In Berl's Gay Mm (Schwul Mm) you will always ga new sights to the world of the gay, lbian and transgenr scene. In Schöneberg fli the flag: In 1996, Schöneberg was the first borough to officially fly the rabow flag at the town hall for the CSD gay pri para, and has done so ever sce.

THE MAYOR IS GAY (AND THAT'S A GOOD THG): BERL MAYOR KLS WOWERE HAS E OM OBSCURY TO PROMENCE JT TWO YEARS, AND NOW HE IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMO OPENLY GAY POLICIANS THE WORLD. (GERMANY).

Right back to the 1920s, the district has been a hotspot of the gay scene and is a mag and twalk for queer Berlers and tourists. Wh the Lbian and Gay Street Ftival summer and Folsom Europe for leather and fetish fans September, Nollendorfplatz is a very special place to vis.

Sce 1986, the "Mann-O-Meter" - Berl's gay checkpot - wh s fé and rmatn area has provid rmatn about what mov the scene and offers unplited help. Sce 1982, there has been a memorative plaque at the Nollendorfplatz unrground statn where the Rosa Wkel memorat the persecutn and murr of homosexuals the Third Reich.

The rabow neighbourhood also prents self as Berl's gay leather & fetish district, and wh a self-nfint prence.

'AN ACT OF INTOLERANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA': BERL MAYOR CONMNS ATTACK ON GAY MEMORIAL

This cema maly shows gay and lbian films, and has been a bean for queer cema the rabow neighbourhood sce 1995. There are 170 clubs, bars and pubs for gays and lbians, and well as rto nightlife and a gay neighbourhood.

Learn about how Berl beme a hotspot for gays and lbians over the urse of the 20th century, and how s scene attracted people om all over the world – and ntu to do so today. The Scientific-Humanarian Commtee – the very first gay and lbian anisatn the world – was found Berl.

RENNTRE GRATUE GAY à PARIS, (75)

One of the first gay venu Berl, notor for equent raids by the police, had already been open Jägerstrasse sce 1885. By 1910 there are twice as parks such as Tiergarten, public baths and a range of railway statns tradnally provid plac for many homosexual men to meet.

Another homosexual associatn is found wh an exclive Unn for Male Culture, which lled self the Communy of the Unique. Its founr, the publisher and anarchist Adolf Brand, acknowledg the existence of a distct homoerotic cultural history extendg om Ancient Greece through to the prent.

The -owner of the rtrant, Alma Dalbelli, ntu nng the bs as the Como om 1905 on: was Berl's very first gay we bar. A number of lbian women, cludg Johanna Elberskirchen and Toni Schwabe, take a pro-active stance and fight to bee actively volved the gay movement, argug favour of havg their say Magn Hirschfeld's Scientific-Humanarian Commtee.