Opening on 8 December 5.30 pm, in the presence of Klaus Wowereit

IN COOPERATION WITH MÄNNER MAGAZINE

After 13 years in office, Klaus Wowereit steps down as the reigning Mayor of Berlin – and lands in the museum.

He was one of the first German top politicians who openly dealt with his homosexuality. In the beginning, he was mocked as “The Party Mayor”, yet at the height of his career he was considered a chancellor candidate, someone who could outclass Angela Merkel. Failures such as the postponed opening of Berlin’s new airport and the tax affair of his Minister of Culture, André Schmitz, led to sinking polls. In 2012 he was voted “the most embarrassing Berliner” by Berlin’s city magazine TIP. On December 12, he resigns. So what remains after 13 years of “The Era Wowereit”?

Readers of the German gay magazine MÄNNER elected Wowereit as their “Homo-Hero 2014“ last month. In the big farewell interview with MÄNNER, published in the December issue, Wowereit talks about being appointed Mayor of Berlin: “You don’t get into office by quota. I wasn’t elected for being gay, but rather because I was Klaus Wowereit, who happened to be gay, not the other way around. It was the same case with my colleague Ole von Beust.” Von Beust, former Mayor of Hamburg (CDU) told MÄNNER: “As a CDU candidate, I worried about being asked about my sexuality. I was openly gay, but not in the public eye. It’s funny, I was never questioned about that. Later, Wowereit’s courage blew the whole problem of secrecy away.”

The exhibition „AND THAT’S A GOOD THING – 13 YEARS KLAUS WOWEREIT“ looks at his legacy for the image of gay men in German society, at his political ups and downs, as well as at his intense relationship with the yellow press. The exhibition will be on display in the café of the Schwules Museum* until 31 March 2015. 

Curator: Kriss Rudolph, author and co-chief editor of MÄNNER (Bruno Gmünder Group), in cooperation with the Schwules Museum*.