Gender / LGBTQI+

Women emancipation in the GDR was mainly sought in the public sphere, with emplyoment and education being the driving vehicles. Gender equality debates did not address the private sphere enough. 

Gender equality was heavily based on the participation in the workforce, which women entered in high numbers. This did not lead to equitable political power, though. 

Both, the GDR and FRG inherited, in 1949, an anti-abortion law called paragraph 218. The way in which they handled abortion and paragraph 218 though, differed tremendously. 

With full-employment, easy access to contraception and divorce, and childcare – and despite having to work a “second shift” at home, East German women did have a reputation for independence and self-confidence. 

Still, for many women, reconciling career and family remained a powerful dilemma. East German stories told by East Germans. 

Gender equality, diversity and identity - if you´re a teenager or young adult, these terms may be quite difficult to grasp in your own native language, let alone in a foreign language. QP, a multimedia booklet written from the perspective of a teenager, takes on the challenge by inviting learners of German to creatively explore, probe and expand their linguistic skills on topics such as: 100 Years of German Queer History, Identity and Discrimination, Protest Movements, Gender Equality and Diversity. 

Mario Roellig came out in the GDR at the end of the 80ies. We asked him: What was it like to live as a queer person in East Germany?

Mario Roellig attempted to escape the GDR in 1987, but was caught and imprisoned in a Stasi high- security prison. Why is his history of persecution in the GDR important? What can it help us understand? In German with English subtitles. 

We asked Mario Roellig, a GDR- eyewitness and present-day queer activist: What are your experiences of living as a queer person in Germany?