In the week from May 12-16, 2025, the state of Berlin will officially commemorate the life and work of the doctor and sex researcher Magnus Hirschfeld for the second time.

The Institute for Sexology, the center of Hirschfeld’s work, was located in the Mitte district before it was destroyed by the National Socialists. 90 years after his death, the Mitte Museum, in cooperation with the Schwules Museum, spans the arc from the historical figure of Hirschfeld to the after-effects of his work in queer realities today.

On our premises, a special preview sample of the work-in-progress documentary “Intermediacy. The Life of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld” by filmmaker and Fulbright scholar Alex Yakacki, will be shown. The project aims to interweave Hirschfeld’s life story with those of eight queer Berliners from the present day. Alex Yakacki will present her personal path to Magnus Hirschfeld’s work.

Rafael Nasemann will then present his project “Making queer heroes visible via QR code”. This project aims to enable remembrance and knowledge transfer about queer activists, actors, organizations and events at historical sites through an interactive route in urban space via QR codes. Among other things, the tour allows interested parties to trace Magnus Hirschfeld’s biography and the biographies of his companions.

Finally, a panel consisting of Alex Yakacki (filmmaker), Heiner Schulze (SMU board member) and Mine Pleasure Bouvar Wenzel (anti-discrimination trainer on the topics of trans*hostility and trans*misogyny) will discuss Magnus Hirschfeld’s work and its influence on today’s world and also shed light on the aspects of his work that need to be critically examined. Together they will discuss which teachings are still valid today and which we should leave behind or contextualize.

The event is aimed at anyone who may already be familiar with Magnus Hirschfeld and is interested in taking a deeper look. The panel discussion will also be held in English spoken language. Admission is free of charge!