Volunteer of the month: Uli Fischer

Our volunteers are the spine of  the Gay Museum. Nothing happens without them. One of them is Uli Fischer: He is 66 years of age, comes from Berlin, he worked in the insurance business for 45 years. Three years ago he retired. Today he likes nothing more than spending his time on his motor cycle or in the Gay Museum, where he has been working for more than one and a half years.

What else do you do besides working in the museum?

My housekeeping.I like going to the theatre. From time to time to the cinema. And of course museums. But the Gay Museum is  the only place where I work voluntarily in a classic sense. I’m also a senior member in „Biker ohne Grenzen“, which is a gay motorcycle club here in Berlin which has split away from a Berlin leather and fetish club and is a seperate section now. The fetish aspect just isn’t that important for us. We just really like riding our motorbikes. In the summer we do tours together in the area around Berlin – on Sundays when everyone has enough spare time to go. Mostly gay and queer men but actually everyone is welcome.

How did you start here?

I was at the exchange for voluntary jobs in the Red Major House and that’s where I saw that the Gay Museum is looking for volunteers. That sounded interesting. So I just introduced myself and I thought: This fits me. There are so many voluntary jobs and I’ve chosen the Gay Museum, because I’m interested in art, in museums – and because I wanted to do something meaningful.

What do you appreciate the most about working in a museum and about the Gay Museum in particular?

I especially value that one meets so many different people there, not only from Berlin. I come into contact with people from all around the world, that’s quite special. And I like the contact with other volunteers in the team, the solidarity. Certainly I feel very comfortable during my shifts. It’s especially great that the engagement of the volunteers is really appreciated here, that there is a party and trips in the summer, that it’s not being taken for granted, what we do. And there is also an emphasis on social life, the solidarity in the community. And on top of that you get cheaper entrance tickets for all kind of things and I find that very nice too.

What is your regular working day like?

I do all kind of voluntary jobs in the museum – like supervising, working in the cafe, handeling the till. Whatever comes up. Actually I’m flexible and versatile in all areas and this way I’m choosing among a variety of free shifts. I’m not limited to just one type of job and so I can work relatively independently.

Is there anything you wish for in the future?

Just in general keeping my good health to go on doing this for much longer in the future. And my wish for the museum is that it will continually develop great exhibitions, openings and events. I’d like it if more and more people got to know the museum. I like a lot of hustle and bustle