Dear friends, today it’s the day of the spectacular TEDDY Ceremony and Party which will take place at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. The best queer films of the Berlinale will be awarded with a TEDDY AWARD in the categories: “Special TEDDY”, “Best Short”, “Best Feature Film” and “Best Documentary”. We will also have great artists who will perform during and after the Ceremony. You can find them here.
Please come in droves and dance with us til our toes are bleeding. See you later! Below you´ll find the programme for today. Continue reading Day 9: Ceremony & Party→
What is the stand of research on the continuities of paragraph 175 after National Socialism?
The dire situation and struggles of men desiring other men during the 1950s and 1960s has only recently attracted attention. They had long been forgotten, in many ways, because of the bad press, given to the”Homophiles” of the postwar decades among the spokespeople of the gay movement. The legal development in the East and the West between 1945 and 1969 has now been at least broadly documented; the same thing can be said about the structures behind police persecution and the non-recognition of homosexual concentration camp prisoners as victims of the National Socialist regime. The political efforts of the “homophiles” for recognition and decriminalization, and above all, the stories of everyday men who loved other men remain undocumented and under researched though: How did they deal with persecution and discrimination? In spite of it all, how did they manage to establish subcultural structures? How did homophile life and same-sex desire blossom between fears and hopes, platonic marriages (Josephsehen), train station bathrooms, prison cells, and theatre lodges?
What are your thoughts on the project by Minister Maas and the discussions on rehabilitation for victims of paragraph 175?
It is wonderful that the general criminalization of same-sex desire and the Nazi enhanced version of § 175 -enabling the intensification of homosexuals’ persecution in the Third Reich and in the early Federal Republic- are finally officially branded as a fundamental violation of human rights. The contribution of Christine Lüders, head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, to decisively advancing this debate really deserves appreciation. This gives the Rechsstaat (Rule of Law) an opportunity to develop a critical perspective on its own history, and to distance itself from the injustice that has been committed. Furthermore, the men who have been condemned can hope for reparation – albeit amply late. However, Paragraph 175 was the source of great harm beyond prison sentences. Relationships were broken, people were denounced, violent attacks were not uncommon, and some victims saw suicide as the only way out. How are the legislators going to compensate for this amount of suffering for which they ultimately bear responsibility?
Do you think this project reflects the discussion on paragraph 175 in the German public space?
I think, and maybe it is more of a hope, that the overwhelming majority of the German public would consider the criminalization of same-sex desire as morally unjustifiable today. To this extent, the political debate on rehabilitation is a result of a switch in opinion that has taken place over the past thirty years. It sometimes surprises me how few people know that the decriminalization of homosexualities is actually an achievement of the late GDR where unequal criminal treatment of same-sex desiring people ended in 1988. The Bundestag did only agree to finally abolish Paragraph 175 in 1994 when the West and East German penal Law were merged. Truly, not a glorious chapter in the history of the Federal Republic.
At the turn of the century, TEDDY recognized the importance of remembrance and praised Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s “Paragraph 175”, an outstanding documentary about the dreadful German law criminalizing homosexuality. Almost two decades later, historians have shown how homosexuals suffered under National Socialism and many have fought for the memory of the victims. Lesser known is the fate of countless homosexuals after the war, the appalling story of the continuities of such an injustice into the success story of the Federal Republic.
This year’s focus is on the struggle of the members of our community who made it through these dark times, but also on the injustice of such a crime, still lingering like an open wound in German history. TEDDY is seizing the momentum of the present discussions on rehabilitation and reparations for the survivors and victims of §175. Our focus is on the unjust and unrighteous treatment of homosexuality in Germany after the war until the complete repeal of the law in the 1990s.
Wieland Speck and TEDDY e.V. present the MonGay Special: On Today, at monday the 6th of February 2017 there will be an introduction into the queer films of this year´s Berlinale and we are happy to invite you! Wieland Speck, the curator of the section Panorama, will present the TEDDY-programme. Entrance is gonna be 7 Euro, discounted 6,50 and is for the benefit of TEDDY e.V.. The Introduction will be in Kino International, Karl-Marx-Allee 33, 10178 Berlin.
What is the stand of research on the continuities of paragraph 175 after National Socialism?
Since the 1970s, considerable research has been done in the context of the homosexual emancipation movement. In the meantime, the subject is becoming more and more important in the academic circles as well, which is good not only for research, which can be broadened and diversified, but for the discipline of History as well, engaging now with queer questions and research topics.
Could you tell us a little bit about public history projects and the way queer history is being taught in German schools?
Overall, queer history is not included in the in German schools’ standard curriculum, but there are various projects that can be used as a starting point. Here, in Berlin, February is always the Queer History Month; during this time some school classes engage with queer history and other queer-related topics in terms of content or art. The project’s homepage offers lessons and materials for teachers who would like to bring queer topics into history lessons. Beyond school, public history projects also bring queer history to a general audience – such as the exhibition ‘Homosexualities’ in the Schwulen Museum* and the Deutsches Historisches Museum, or, as it is currently in Baden-Württemberg, Public History connects queer history to research projects. Last year, a project was launched that brings together research, public history and regional queer history creating opportunities for a greater participation.
What are your thoughts on the project by Minister Maas and the discussions on rehabilitation for victims of paragraph 175?
The rehabilitation of men who were convicted under paragraph 175 is a much welcomed and almost overdue project. A reasonable compensation for the victims of this homophobic legislation should also be implemented.
Do you think this project reflects the discussion on paragraph 175 in the German public space?
I think that before the announcement by the Minister of Justice, many people were not even aware that homosexual relationships among men were prosecuted for so long in the Federal Republic. The discussion has created a certain awareness and therefore it should be welcomed.
