Wolfgang Theis turned 70 recently. We celebrate this with a conference that wants to explore one of his central credos: for 50 years Wolfgang has said that “the entire gay liberation movement has only been successful because there was the women’s movement.” In an interview with Tagesspiegel, he said: “We have profited from the battles fought by women.”

Is this “Birth of Gay Liberation from Feminism“ a myth – or was Wolfgang right about this? And what exactly is the relationship between gay emancipation and the feminist and lesbian movement? What were (and are) thei differences? Were gay men welcome, and were women welcome in gay men’s circles? Which role did topics such as pedophilia, AIDS and sex wars play? What was the situation like in East Germany, and which role did the reunification of 1989 play? Was there a space for queer People of Color in the German LGBT+ movement?

And what about the current conflicts?

Concept: Dr. Birgit Bosold & Dr. Peter Rehberg

Photo: Museum founder Wolfgang Theis as Sally Bowles at a costume party in the early 1970s. Photo: Rolf Fischer / Archive Schwules Museum.