Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany and the United States: Past, Present, and Future
Year 3: Berlin and Leipzig, Germany
LGBTQ+ individuals and their communities have been organizing to assert their rights for over a century, especially in Germany and the United States—two countries that were early pioneers and that have currently achieved more equality than many other places. But many challenges still persist, especially as a backlash to greater LGBTQ+ rights has been visible in both countries.
A comparative examination of the history, present, and future of LGBTQ+ rights will generate new understandings, leadership skills, and policy lessons for both countries and many others around the world. This AGI project fosters cross-cultural exchange with participants from diverse backgrounds by sharing personal testimonies, successes and failures, and best practices through week-long study tours in the United States and Germany.
Program Synopsis
Siegessäule Magazine
Founded in 1984, Siegessäule emerged in West Berlin, then a major center for subcultures in Germany. In the pre-internet era, community members relied heavily on physical spaces to exchange ideas and information. The magazine originated in the Prinz Eisenherz bookstore, a key hub for the queer movement, and drew significant inspiration from developments in the United States.
During the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Siegessäule focused its early work on sexual health, addressing the urgent need for information and care within the gay community. In 1985, the Federal State of Berlin—then governed by the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU)—funded a special edition dedicated to the AIDS crisis, reflecting the growing recognition of the public health emergency.
In September 1989, Siegessäule expanded into a nationwide publication through a merger with the Nuremberg-based magazine Magnus. However, a shift toward a sales-driven model proved unsuccessful, and the publication ceased operations in the mid-1990s. It was later revived as a free magazine, broadening its scope to cover the queer community and a wider range of health-related topics.
A central feature of Siegessäule is its event calendar, which remains an essential resource for the LGBTQ+ community. It includes listings for parties, cultural events—such as opera and performance art—Stammtische, and professional networking opportunities. In addition, the magazine addresses political issues affecting the queer community.
Siegessäule is funded entirely through advertising and subscriptions to L-MAG, its sister magazine for the lesbian community. It maintains strict independence by refusing financial support from government bodies or private sponsors, reinforcing its commitment to unbiased journalism and fostering trust among its readership.
The inclusion of lesbian and non-gay male leadership significantly broadened the magazine’s perspective, transforming it into a more inclusive platform that promotes solidarity across the queer community. Despite this, divisions persist within Berlin’s queer scene, often resulting in internal debates over representation. Editors, therefore, carry the responsibility of ensuring diversity and sensitivity in their coverage, including in areas such as ethnicity, race, age, gender, and sexual orientation.
Like many queer print publications in Europe, Siegessäule faces challenges due to declining readership. Numerous outlets have either transitioned to digital formats or ceased operations altogether. German-language media in particular often lack the resources to provide continuously updated content comparable to English-language platforms. The decline of other publications, often linked to a loss of trust in leadership, underscores the importance Siegessäule places on maintaining journalistic integrity.
Housing First Queer – Schwulenberatung
“Housing First Queer” is a project based within Schwulenberatung, a queer health and support center in Berlin. The project is part of the wider housing project affiliated with the European Federation of National Organizations Working with Homeless People, which aims to combat homelessness by shifting societal perceptions through training, practice, research, support, communication activities, and capacity building. The initiative provides housing assistance to individuals facing particularly challenging life circumstances. In Berlin, an estimated 5,000–6,000 people live on the streets, while approximately 47,300 reside in emergency shelters. Despite these figures, there is currently no reliable data on how many individuals experiencing homelessness identify as queer. Beginning in 2026, however, policy changes will allow for the collection of data on queer identity in emergency shelters, addressing this significant gap.
People in emergency shelters often face heightened risks of discrimination and sexual violence. Between 5 and 7 percent of shelter workers report awareness of such incidents. “Housing First Queer” is one of six specialized Housing First programs, alongside initiatives serving Roma communities, women and children, individuals with drug addiction, people living with HIV/AIDS, and sex workers. The program is grounded in the principle that housing is a fundamental human right.
The project supports individuals in finding housing on the private market. Participation is voluntary, and individuals are never forced to accept accommodation. This approach fosters trust, as participants are not required to fulfill ongoing conditions to continue receiving support. Services are only discontinued in cases when participants pose a danger to staff.
The program is supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes an executive director, a real estate specialist, five social workers (four of whom are full-time), a psychologist, and a housing manager responsible for preparing apartments. This role is particularly important, as many of the units secured are not immediately ready for occupancy.
Since 2023, the program has processed approximately 250 inquiries. It has served 60 participants, with 46 participants currently using support services. 43 people have been placed in secure tenancy agreements. Around 90 percent of clients are estimated to have psychiatric needs or undiagnosed mental disabilities. The project obtains publicly funded support addressed under Paragraph 67 of the German Social Code, which focuses on providing support to individuals facing significant social challenges. Since its inception in 1996, the program has received approximately 250 inquiries.
The target group for “Housing First Queer” is not individuals who simply need assistance finding housing, but rather those experiencing complex and intersecting social issues. This includes people without stable social networks, individuals with neurodiversity, those temporarily engaged in sex work, and people dealing with substance dependency.
Spinnboden Archiv
The Spinnboden Archive was founded in 1973 by the Lesbian Action Group in Berlin’s Wedding district. Initially housed in a private home, the archive expanded over time and relocated to a permanent space in eastern Berlin in 1995. Today, it is considered the second-largest lesbian archive in the world, after the Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York City.
During its first decade, the archive functioned primarily as a site of political activism. Its activities were largely informal, centered on organizing and disseminating political messages. As members began to collect personal materials and media, the archive developed into a more formal institution. By the 1980s, it had secured state funding to support the preservation of these materials.
The archive’s collection efforts began with public calls—particularly through newsletters—encouraging individuals to donate personal items such as letters, photographs, and other memorabilia. Over time, the volume of donations grew significantly, creating ongoing challenges related to storage capacity and space.
State funding currently supports two salaried positions and covers rent for the archive’s facilities. However, it does not extend to the acquisition of materials, all of which continue to be donated by community members.
Spinnboden faces particular challenges in collecting materials from working-class individuals and lesbian women of color, typically receiving only one or two such donations per year. Most contributions consist of books and other published works. Among its most significant holdings is Liebende Frauen, a lesbian magazine dating back to the Weimar era in Germany. The archive also actively seeks novels and publications from this historical period.
Although Spinnboden maintains an online catalogue, the digitization of its collection remains limited, with only about 3 percent of materials currently available in digital format.
In addition to its archival work, Spinnboden serves as a community space, hosting events focused on writing, the arts, and lesbian cultural history. The archive has approximately sixty members, each contributing an annual fee of 30 euros to support its activities. In total, the archive holds around 30,000 objects in its database.
Nyke Slawik, MdB
Nyke Slawik has been a member of the Bundestag since 2021 and previously served in the regional parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, spending more than half of her career working in government. Since February 2025, The Greens/Alliance 90 have been in opposition in the German Bundestag.
Out of the governing coalition, a key priority in the Bundestag for members of The Greens/Alliance 90 has been extending Article 3 of the German Basic Law to explicitly include LGBTQ+ protections. Article 3 of the Basic Law is Germany’s core equality and non-discrimination clause. However, sexual minorities are still not explicitly covered, and achieving such a change requires a two-thirds majority, meaning cooperation with more conservative-leaning parties would be essential to making any progress on a change to this law. Another issue is a lack of equal treatment for “rainbow families.” Same-sex couples have challenges being listed as parents on birth certificates of their children, requiring that not only non-biological parents, but also biological parents go through a legal adoption process to have legal guardianship over their children.
Historically, progress at the federal level in Germany has been incremental. Paragraph 175, which criminalized homosexuality, was only fully abolished in 1994. Today, Germany ranks eighth in Europe for LGBTQ+ acceptance. Despite this progress, recent developments have raised concerns, including the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) decision to cut funding for non-governmental organizations under the current coalition led by the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD). This rollback of governmental support to civil society for LGBTQ+-related work is attributed to the politicization of publicly funded services for the LGBTQ+ community by far-right political leaders that center-right leaders are trying to appease.
Currently in opposition, policymakers from the Greens are focusing on holding the CDU/SPD governing coalition accountable for reducing support for civil society organizations delivering services to the LGBTQ+ community. While opposition parties cannot directly set government policy, they have greater freedom to highlight and prioritize issues in public debate. In contrast, governing parties must adhere to coalition agreements and political compromises, making furthering progressive agendas more challenging.
The Greens continue to participate in regional governments across Germany, but at the federal level they face challenges. These include advocating within the Interior Ministry for reducing bureaucratic hurdles, particularly for LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum seekers. Meanwhile, a more restrictive migration policy has become the dominant issue in cultural and mainstream political debates, often overshadowing LGBTQ+ concerns pertaining to migration policy.
Since the introduction of the Self-Determination Act in 2024, which loosened restrictions on individuals obtaining legal change to their gender, around 20,000 individuals have applied to change their gender marker on official documents. Applications initially surged due to long anticipation of a change in statute, as many had been waiting for a simplified legal process. In the last year, application numbers have stabilized.
Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld
The Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld (Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation), founded in 2011, is the newest and smallest federal foundation in Germany. It is named for Magnus Hirschfeld, a pioneering “sexologist” born in present-day Poland who later worked in Berlin. In Berlin, he advocated for the repeal of Paragraph 175, which criminalized homosexuality, and founded the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science). Hirschfeld’s institute played a groundbreaking role in advancing the understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity long before such topics were widely accepted in society. Hirschfeld authored several influential publications on sexuality, but his institute and library were destroyed by the Nazis in 1933. He died in exile in Nice, France, in 1935 during the Nazi regime.
Established under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, the foundation operates with support from the Federal Ministry of Justice. Its governing council includes members of parliament, ministry representatives, and leaders from non-governmental organizations. Guided by its motto, “Through science, justice,” the foundation seeks to honor Hirschfeld’s legacy, promote research and education, and combat discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in Germany. Its work is organized around three core pillars: research, education, and remembrance.
The foundation receives approximately €700,000 annually from the federal budget, as well as from grants and endowments, bringing its total assets to around €10 million. Notably, Germany is unique in providing federal funding to an organization dedicated specifically to the study of sex and sexuality.
Among its initiatives is the “Archive of Different Remembrance,” an ongoing project documenting the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals facing discrimination throughout modern German history. As of spring 2026, the archive includes around 600 hours of interviews, soon to be made digitally accessible. One particularly extensive interview spans eight hours and features a queer Jewish Holocaust survivor who was persecuted under Paragraph 175.
In addition, the foundation organizes exhibitions that explore the marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals during the era of National Socialism and into the postwar decades of the 1950s and 1960s. These exhibitions highlight both the suffering endured and the resilience and contributions of individuals within the community.
Queer Commissioner of the Berlin State Senate
The Berlin state government established a Commissioner for Queer Issues in 2023 to better address the needs of the city’s LGBTQ+ community. This position was created under a governing coalition between the SPD and CDU. As the inaugural and current holder, Alfonso Pantisano took this position after a career in community organizing and advocacy in Berlin. He brings expertise to the role in ensuring the city is delivering proper services to the queer community.
Berlin is composed of twelve districts with diverse populations. The commissioner’s office allocates approximately €600,000 to support initiatives in outer metropolitan areas and strengthen community infrastructure.
Like other minority groups, the LGBTQ+ community in Berlin faces threats of hate crimes. More than half of violent incidents in the city go unreported, a trend that extends to crimes targeting LGBTQ+ individuals. In addition to external threats, the community also experiences internal tensions, including conflicts between different identity groups, such as those involving older gay men, lesbians, and trans women.
Certain groups within the LGBTQ+ community remain underrepresented, particularly bisexual individuals, who face challenges related to visibility and inclusion. Queer people of color and those with migration backgrounds also encounter systemic inequalities, especially in access to healthcare. Elderly trans individuals are similarly affected by gaps in healthcare access. In response, the commissioner supports initiatives such as safe housing for individuals at risk of violence from family members or within their communities.
A key goal of the commissioner is to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ issues beyond Pride Month and other annual events, fostering year-round public awareness. The Berlin Senate has also introduced an Action Plan to combat violence—particularly hate crimes—which has expanded from an initial nineteen measures to approximately 300, reflecting the complexity of addressing violence in a large urban center.
Despite these efforts, ongoing challenges remain. One major priority is safeguarding the rights and progress already achieved by the LGBTQ+ community. At the national level, advocacy continues to focus on constitutional protections for sexual minorities, a conversation that also shapes the commissioner’s work at the local level.
City of Leipzig & Advisory Board for Gender Equality
The Advisory Board for Gender Equality in Leipzig provides guidance and helps shape public initiatives by promoting inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community. Its work includes supporting annual Pride celebrations and advising municipal agencies that deliver services to queer residents.
LGBTQ+ individuals have been organizing openly in Leipzig since the 1980s. Activism within the queer community—particularly around gay and lesbian issues—played an important role in broader opposition movements against the government of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) leading up to German reunification.
Following the fall of the GDR, Leipzig held its first Pride in 1992, with around 100 participants. Attendance grew steadily in the following years, alongside the emergence of smaller Pride events across Saxony, including the first Saxony-wide Pride in 1996.
After reunification, many queer individuals moved to western Germany in search of better economic opportunities, contributing to a significant brain drain in both the LGBTQ+ community and eastern Germany throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Despite this, Leipzig Pride—known as the Christopher Street Day (CSD) Parade, named after the site of the Stonewall Uprisings in New York City—grew from around 400 participants in 2004 to approximately 10,000 by 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Pride events by limiting public gatherings. In response, organizers supported by the Advisory Board adapted by using QR code technology to launch a “You Are Not Alone” campaign across Saxony, connecting individuals to online events and resources.
In 2025, the CSD Parade adopted the motto “We Stay Here,” emphasizing a commitment to remaining in eastern Germany and countering the continued outmigration of skilled residents. Leipzig has since positioned itself as one of the more LGBTQ+-friendly cities in eastern Germany, attracting queer individuals from across the region.
The Advisory Board for Gender Equality also works to ensure inclusive policies in municipal governance. This includes establishing regulations such as gender-neutral bathrooms in public spaces and supporting the implementation of Germany’s Selbstbestimmungsgesetz or Self-Determination Act in 2023 in public records systems.
In addition, the Board collects data on LGBTQ+ populations and issues in Leipzig, balancing this effort with the need to protect individual privacy. It estimates that approximately 30,000 queer individuals live in the city and tracks incidents of violence, reporting five cases involving LGBTQ+ individuals in 2025.
Aidshilfe Leipzig
Aidshilfe Leipzig was founded in 1990 and is the oldest locally operating Aidshilfe organization in former East Germany. Aidshilfe Germany consists of sixty-six member organizations, each of which receives funding through a combination of state and municipal support.
Aidshilfe Leipzig focuses on two main areas of work. The first is traditional HIV/AIDS support services for people living with HIV. The second is the “Leila” program, which is dedicated to supporting sex workers through healthcare services and outreach. Across both programs, the organization employs eight full-time professionals.
The organization offers confidential and anonymous counseling services, available by telephone, in person, and nationwide. It also provides free HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. In addition to individual testing, Aidshilfe Leipzig conducts public outreach testing campaigns in places such as refugee camps, community centers, and services for homeless individuals.
Beyond testing and counseling, Aidshilfe Leipzig is also active in sexual education. It runs educational programs for school students (starting in grade seven), people with disabilities, and teachers. The organization also engages in community outreach with groups such as gay men, trans and non-binary individuals, queer people of color, and refugees.
Not limited to the LGBTQ+ community, the Leila program promotes solidarity with sex workers by providing outreach at workplaces, along with testing and education on safe practices.
Aidshilfe Leipzig continues to face funding challenges. Increasingly conservative political trends in Saxony, along with growing far-right influence, have raised concerns about the stability of financial support. As a result, the organization must continue to adapt by demonstrating its importance in public health and developing strategies to secure sustainable funding in the future.
RosaLinde Leipzig
RosaLinde Leipzig is an association dedicated to education, counseling, and community support for LGBTQ+ individuals. Founded around 1990, the organization focuses on promoting equality and addressing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The organization specializes in psychosocial counseling, offering support on issues such as family relationships, identity development, transition-related challenges, and youth concerns. Its services are available not only to LGBTQ+ individuals but also to families, partners, and professionals.
RosaLinde Leipzig is also active in education, particularly through school-based programs. These include workshops and initiatives such as “Regenbogen-AGs” (rainbow groups), which aim to create support networks for LGBTQ+ students and foster more inclusive school environments. A key aspect of the organization’s work is outreach to rural areas in Saxony. Through mobile counseling programs, RosaLinde provides support to LGBTQ+ individuals in underserved regions who may not otherwise have access to queer-specific services. In addition, RosaLinde engages in community-building through cultural events, group meetings, and artistic initiatives that create safe spaces for queer expression and connection.
The organization also provides specialized support for queer refugees. Through projects such as the Queer Refugees Network, RosaLinde offers psychosocial counseling, legal guidance, and assistance navigating the German asylum system, which can be particularly challenging for LGBTQ+ individuals facing scrutiny and discrimination.
Like many similar organizations, RosaLinde Leipzig faces ongoing funding challenges. Political developments in Saxony, including the rise of far-right populism, have increased uncertainty around financial support—particularly for refugee-focused programs. As a result, the organization increasingly relies on external funding sources and must continuously advocate for the importance of its work in promoting public well-being and social inclusion.
Schwules Museum
The Schwules Museum (Gay Museum), founded in 1985, celebrated its fortieth anniversary in December 2025. Initially, its mission focused on documenting and showcasing queer history in East Germany and the broader Berlin community. Over time, this scope has expanded to include diverse LGBTQ+ communities and international perspectives.
Since its founding, the museum has operated from four different locations, moving to its current site in 2013. It is structured as an association rather than a public institution. While it receives partial funding from the state, it also relies on ticket sales, third-party support, and contributions from its members to sustain operations, with an annual budget of €1–1.5 million. Ongoing budget cuts to the arts by the City of Berlin pose a potential risk to its financial stability, motivating its leadership to seek new, creative ways to sustain the institution.
In addition to exhibits and archival work, the museum collaborates with schools and youth centers to strengthen community engagement in Berlin. Approximately two-thirds of its visitors are international, supported by strong partnerships with the city’s tourism sector. As Berlin promotes itself as a “Rainbow City,” the museum has become a key cultural destination for visitors.
After four decades of renting spaces, museum leadership is also focused on purchasing a permanent property. This would help mitigate rising rental costs and further establish the museum as a lasting public institution.
The museum and archive employ a staff of sixteen, most of whom work part-time, supported by sixty to seventy active volunteers. Its governance includes a seven-member board, and a CEO position was introduced in 2019 to strengthen organizational leadership.
Exhibitions are the museum’s most visible activity. In its curation and historical work, the Stonewall uprising in New York City frequently serves as a key reference point. To mark its forty-year anniversary, the museum has conducted interviews with its founders, contributing to its ongoing documentation efforts.
A significant internal discussion concerns whether to change the museum’s name to better reflect the full LGBTQ+ community. This proposal has met resistance, particularly from long-standing members who emphasize the importance of preserving the legacy of gay men in founding the institution. These tensions, along with other structural challenges, have complicated efforts to strengthen relationships with lesbian communities.
The museum has also explored the idea of integrating archives representing different segments of the LGBTQ+ community; however, limited physical space presents a major constraint. In recent years, a growing number of LGBTQ+ archives have emerged across Europe, including in Oslo, several cities in the Netherlands, Paris, Prague, and Copenhagen. This expansion presents new opportunities for cross-European collaboration in queer archival work. The museum’s archival work also prioritizes preserving materials from communities facing political backlash or threats, including those in countries such as Ukraine and Turkey.
The Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) recently hosted its first exhibition on queer topics. However, the Schwules Museum has observed that such exhibitions may avoid more challenging or less publicly accessible aspects of LGBTQ+ history.
The Schwules Museum archive contains approximately two million items, primarily paper-based, but also including clothing, artworks, and audiovisual materials. The archive is maintained by a small team of two to three staff members, with additional support from volunteers who often receive funding for project-based cataloging work.
This project is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany, funded by the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).
