LGBTIQ-Aktivismus in Ost-Berlin

In the organizer's words:

How did queer people live in the GDR and how did they stand up for their interests?

As one of the protagonists, Peter Rausch can give a first-hand account of the beginnings of LGBTIQ self-organization in the GDR in the 1970s. He founded the Homosexual Interest Group Berlin (HIB) with friends in 1973. They wanted to improve social acceptance for gays and lesbians and offer them advice and communication. The GDR authorities obstructed the work of the HIB. LGBTIQ people like Peter Rausch did not conform to the socialist family ideal of the GDR and were discriminated against, even though gay men were no longer prosecuted. Before and after the fall of the Wall, Peter Rausch volunteered at the Sonntags-Club, an advice, information and communication center for the scene.

The event consists of a guided tour followed by a discussion with contemporary witnesses and takes place on the occasion of Queer History Month in Berlin.