Objekt des Monats: Flyer der Schwulen Antifa und Infodienstzeitung „AIDZ”

The struggle against fascism and right wing exremism has always been and will remain a queer project. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, a so-called Schwule Antifa formed in Germany, a group of gay anti-fascist activists determined to fight the rise of neonazism. The SMU archive features various flyers documenting the group’s different events and activities – for example a presentation of a book about homosexuality and fascism in Berlin; a screening of a documentary about lesbians and gays during the Nazi regime, or a pamphlet demanding a strong gay presence at an upcoming anti-fascist demonstration.

Emerging from the orbit of the Schwule Antifa was the self-published magazine AIDZ (short for Antifa Infodienst-Zeitung, the Antifa information service paper). The very first edition from June 23, 1987 is part of the SMU’s collection. The paper was published by the self-proclaimed AIDZ collective, seeking to provide a guidebook and news outlet for people and groups that were dedicated to fight fascism. Topics of the first 10-page-edition are, among others, a report on the terror of right-wing skinheads in Østerbro, a feature about the Neonazi party FAP and a story on the Neonazi attack on a sex club in Berlin.

We will exhibit various flyers of the Schwule Antifa and the first edition of AIDZ as our Object of the Month for the whole of March in the museum’s café.