“I could write so much, but it upsets me so deeply, because I must not think back. Today it all feels like a dream. I would so love to scream my life out into the world and publish it, but that takes money, and I have none. It surely must be unique and interesting—almost impossible to believe. It sounds like a fairy tale. That I endured it all and am still alive is a miracle.”

— Adele Haas, 28 March 1961

Born in 1907, Adele Haas witnessed the Nazi‘s rise to power. Being intersex, Adele was subject to severe violence during their totalitarian rule, imprisoned several times under Paragraph 175 and deported to Sachsenhausen‘s concentration. Adele‘s memory and biography could have been lost to history. Jako Wende has traced Adele‘s life through the archives and established contact with her surviving relatives and former neighbours. They were entrusted with some of Adele‘s personal belongings, which will be shown during the lecture, as Jako guides the audience through her biography and means of resistance.

Jako Wende researches the histories and lived experiences of trans*, inter*, and/or gender-nonconforming people under national socialism from the perspective of a non-binary endo trans* person. In the course of their work, Jako continues to uncover individuals who have so far been excluded from public remembrance and commemorative culture.

This event will be held in German spoken language. Admission: Free!

This event is part of the series “A History of Sneaking,” a series of talks on inter* history by Juliana Gleeseon, Jako Wende, and River Roux. A project of the Schwules Museum Berlin.

Bild: Estate Adele Haas, Schwules Museum Berlin