“Here it takes courage!”- Lesbian, gay and trans* in Brandenburg, past and present.

Invitation to the opening of the exhibition “»Ohne Mut geht hier nichts! «
Lesbisch, schwul und trans* in Brandenburg – gestern und heute

(“Here it takes courage!”- Lesbian, gay and trans* in Brandenburg, past and present.)

A  travelling exhibition by the Institute for Social Work at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, the association Lola für Demokratie in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation

When? June 14, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. (with subsequent evening program)

Where? Institut Soziale Arbeit at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

Until now, little was known about lesbian, gay and trans* people and public figures who live(d) and work(ed) in the German state of Brandenburg. Which (critical) role models can be found? How did gay, lesbian and trans* people organize in the past – under the Weimar Republic, and later when the state was part of the GDR? What kind of repression and persecution  did they suffer under the Nazi regime? Can we still find traces of their resistance?  And what does life look like today for gay, lesbian and trans* people in Brandenburg’s cities, towns and villages? How do gay, lesbian and trans* people organize today? What is the current situation in terms of associations and safe spaces to get together? 

The exhibition invites visitors to engage with the daily lives of lesbian, gay and trans* people in Brandenburg today, and experience their emancipation, their courage, their struggles, and their strategies for survival – from the end of the German Empire to the present.

About the program

• Host: Miss Moonlight
• 4:30 p.m. – Opening ceremony
• Welcoming speech – Monika von der Lippe, Brandenburg State Commissioner for Equal Opportunity
• Short presentation: Uncovering Brandenburg’s lesbian, gay and trans* history –discrimination, persecution, resistance and emancipation

Christine Matt (M.A. Intercultural Education),  Prof. Dr. Heike Radvan (both at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg) and BTU students involved in the project

• Get-together with refreshments

6:00 p.m. – Open-air concert with Katharina Franck (Band: Rainbirds)

The people involved in the exhibition:

Responsible for conceptualization of the project’s historical aspects:

Stella Hindemith (Lola für Demokratie in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)

Prof. Dr. Christiane Leidinger (Hochschule Düsseldorf)

Prof. Dr. Heike Radvan (BTU Cottbus)

Dr. Julia Roßhart (freelance researcher and lecturer, Berlin)

Christine Matt M.A. (BTU Cottbus) and Prof. Dr. Heike Radvan were in charge of conceptualization and content for the present-day aspects of the exhibition. All texts in part I and II of the exhibition were produced by Dr. Julia Roßhart. The work was made possible by a number of activists, contemporary witnesses, students and researchers who provided their support and help. 

Christine Matt M.A. was responsible for overall coordination and management under project head Prof. Dr. Heike Radvan.

The travelling exhibition is a project undertaken by the Institute of Social Work at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, the association Lola für Demokratie in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. It was financed by the Brandenburg State Ministry for Labor, Social, Health, Women and Family Affairs and by State Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Monika von der Lippe.