Schwules Leben in der DDR -taz Talk mit Jürgen Lemke am 17.04.

In the organizer's words:

It was the first and also the last book about gay life in the GDR. In the taz Talk, its author talks about its genesis, resonance and relevance for today.

In the 1989 book "Ganz normal Anders. Auskünfte schwuler Männer", published in 1989, author Jürgen Lemke collected 14 life stories that deal with homosexual experiences in the context of social stigmatization. Although the GDR abolished Paragraph 175 of the Criminal Code earlier than the FRG, coming out was a rarity.

The reports range from characterizations of gay life in town and country to Charlotte von Mahlsdorf's childhood memories and the concentration camp experiences of the Rosa Winkel wearers. In the meantime, "Ganz normal anders" has become a piece of history that recounts experiences at a time when they were virtually non-existent in the public eye.

Lemke began work on the book in the early 1980s. However, the title acceptance process was delayed, so it was only published shortly before the end of the GDR. Based on his book, he wrote the play "Männerbiographien in der DDR. I am gay", which was staged at the Theater im Palast in East Berlin in 1990.

In the taz Talk, we talk to the author about the genesis and current relevance of his book as well as homosexual life in the GDR and after reunification.

Guests:

🐾 Jürgen Lemke, born in 1943 in Lower Lusatia, has lived in Berlin since 1964. He studied economics, but was de facto banned from working in the GDR, partly because of his sexual orientation. After reunification, he studied education and obtained a license to practice as a psychotherapist. The 79-year-old is using his retirement - which is not a retirement - for his film project about sexual re-education in concentration camps.

🐾 Quirin Hacker is a taz lab editor.

This taz Talk takes place as part of the taz lab Warm-up Talks. Questions from the audience are welcome before and during the talk.