A Short History of Gay Berlin
Just earlier then Berlin became Germany's capital, the gay culture was a big part of social life here. In 1869 the police kept a list of more than 2000 then so called 'urnings' in a city with about 600.000 inhabitans.
With indroduction of paragraph 175 to the new German Reich Civil Code in 1871 same sex sexual behavior between 2 men had to be punished. To remove this paragraph from the Civil Code was the greatest demand during the following decades. In 1897 the 'wissenschaftlich-humanitäre Komitee' (scientific-humanitan committee) was founded by Magnus Hirschfeld, later famous for his Institute of Sexual Science close to the Spree river.
Between 1907 and 1909 there were held a few court procedures implicating same sex behavior which were involved some members of parliament as well as some ministers.
During the 'roaring twenties' the gay life in Berlin got a long period of prosperity. The new freedom in the new German republic and the economical success after indroduction a new currency there were found many bars, clubs, theaters and cabarets. They gave way to fullfill the darkest dreams and sexual desires of gay men and women. In 1926 opened the famous 'Eldorado' its doors at (Martin-)Luther-Strasse, from 1928 it got its 'little sister' with the same name at Motzstrasse. Those Bars were well known all over Europe and hardly frequented by straight and gay tourists. Christopher Isherwood moved to Berlin in 1929, lived at Nollendorfstrasse 1930-33 and became famous for his desciption of those days in Berlin in 'Goodby to to Berlin' which became a movie later as 'Cabaret'.
Before the Nazi party came into power some of their biggest leaders were seen at the gay bars as well. The later by Hitler killed leader of the SA troups, Ernst Röhm, came here to have fun as well as some of his commanders were seen in drag or working as escorts.
That freedom was finalized in spring 1933 when nearly all of the 100 gay bars were closed by an order of ministry of internal affairs. Just a few bars left and were used by the secret service to survey the left gay scene. In 1935 the paragrapf 175 was changed and harder punishment was menaced. The highest penalty for same sex activities was changed from 6 months up to 5 years in prison or concentration camp. Gay life was not longer part of the privacy and persecuted by the state. The new law was used to imprison thousands of gay men in concentration camps, for example 'Sachsenhausen' north of Berlin.
Here you can still see a proving ground with many different pavements, where mostly gay men had to run all day long to test new army shoes...most of the underfed and weaked guys died after that run.
On Easter 1975 for the first time some members of the MSC (motocycle sports group) held a meeting in Berlin for guys who were into leather. They founded herewith the tradition of the Berlin Fetish Meeting which happens in Berlin since then every year. In 1998 the election of the 'German Mister Leather' was added, who should represent the whole German fetish community.
In 1979 the first German gay pride march was organised under the name 'Christopher Street Day - CSD' with just a few people. It was always growing and today with up to 500.000 visitors it became the second largest gay pride in Germany, held on the last weekend in June every year.
The exibition 'Eldorado' organised at the Berlin-Museum (today the famous Jewish Museum) in 1984 was the starting point for founding a regular 'Gay Museum' which took place in 2004 starting with an exibition themed '200 years of gay history'.
In summer 1993 a group of gay bar owners from Schoeneberg organised a street fair at Motzstrasse, which was growing every year and covers nowadays 5 streets in the gay area with more than 400 000 visitors every year. Not only gays and lesbians but also straight people joining it and make it the biggest gay street fair in Europe. Held on the weekend before gay pride parade (CSD, last weekend in June) it starts every year the 'Berlin Gay Pride Week'.
The first gay Radio became 'EldoRadio' which started broadcasting in 1985 from Berlin. Since 2003 there is a private radio channel called BLU.FM as the first full gay radio station in Germany. With 1st November 2008 started TIMM as first gay TV channel, also from Berlin. For gay themed movies or films with a gay background the Teddy Award wird seit 1987 jährlich am Vorabend der Verleihung des Goldenen Bären im Rahmen der Berlinale in Berlin vergeben.
Mitte 2001 übernahm Klaus Wowereit das Amt des regierenden Bürgermeisters von Berlin. Einem geplanten Outing durch die konservative Presse kam er öffentlich mit seinem berühmt gewordenen Spruch zuvor: 'Ich bin schwul und das ist auch gut so!'
1996 wurden erstmals anlässlich des CSD an 3 Berliner Bezirksrathäusern die Regenbogenfahne gehisst. Im 'Flaggenkrieg' versuchte der konservative Senat, dies in den Folgejahren zu unterbinden. Noch im Frühjahr 2001 lehnte der Senat es ab, dies vor dem Roten Rathaus zu tun. Wenige Tage nach seinem Amtsantritt verfügte Wowereit die Hissung auch dort und setzte damit ein Zeichen für einen neuen Politikstil gegenüber schwuler Kultur.
Seit 2004 findet am ersten Wochenende im September das 'Folsom Europe' Strassenfest in Schöneberg statt. Trotz heftiger Attacken aus dem konservativen Lager verteidigte Wowereit das Fest als 'passend zu Berlin' und schickt jedes Jahr eine Grussbotschaft. Inzwischen ist dieses Fest der grösste Treff der Fetischszene in Europa.