This event is part of the Goethe-Institut New York's "Queer as German Folk" series, with which we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots as a milestone in the fight for gender diversity and equality.
"Queer as German Folk" is a project of the Goethe-Instituts North America in cooperation with the Schwules Museum Berlin, and the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung).
Realized in cooperation with The DC Center for the LGBT Community, The Rainbow History Project, and Whitman-Walker Health.
#queerasgermanfolk #qagf #stonewall50 #smu #bpb
Celebrating 50 Years of Transatlantic Rainbow Friendship: An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History in Germany and Washington, DC
May 23, 2019, 6:30 pm – August 27, 2019
Goethe-Institut Washington
1990 K St NW, Ste. 03
Washington, DC 20006
Gallery Hours: M-F 10:00 - 6:30
The DC Center for the LGBT Community
2000 14th St NW #105
Washington, DC 20009
Gallery Hours: M-F 12:00 - 6:00
Join the Goethe-Institut Washington, The DC Center for the LGBT Community, The Rainbow History Project, and Whitman-Walker Health in celebration of
Queer as German Folk – a new exhibition at the Goethe-Institut Washington and The DC Center for the LGBT Community.
Fifty years ago, in 1969, the Stonewall Uprising in New York City launched the modern queer rights movement in the United States and around the world. In response to violence and discrimination against queer people – among them many people of color, drag queens, women, trans people, and sex workers – this act of resistance highlighted a turning point in the struggle for social justice and equality for queer people across the globe.
Queer as German Folk takes the fiftieth anniversary of Stonewall as an opportunity to outline the current state of discourse on queer emancipation against the backdrop of the past half-century. With a focus on adjusting historical perspectives and questioning the dominance and hegemony of the traditional cis-male narrative, the exhibition will be in the form of a hands-on deconstructed archive that visitors can browse at their own pace.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community at 2000 14th St NW #105 will host a portion of the exhibit as well.
The exhibition consists of two major elements: the first being a set of materials curated by
Birgit Bosold and
Carina Klugbauer of the Schwules Museum Berlin, and the second being a set of materials selected by
Mary Claire Phillips, a local curator who has gathered artifacts from DC-based archives. This will allow the exhibition to display queer history in both Germany and the Washington, DC area alike, presenting the parallels and divergences in the fights for equality in each place.
Accompanying the
Queer as German Folk will be a number of additional events, and programming that complements the exhibition theme – especially the multi-partner film series,
Kino-Q.
The German component of the exhibit was curated by
Birgit Bosold, from the curatorial team of the Homosexualität_en exhibition and the management team of the Schwules Museum Berlin. Co-curated by
Carina Klugbauer, also from the Schwules Museum, the exhibition aims to focus on the close and vital interactions between the German and US-American movements while also taking criticisms into account about the perceived illegitimate appropriation of this pivotal moment of queer history by a white, gay, middle-class mainstream. The exhibition will attempt to draw a picture that is historically more comprehensive, which also means not losing sight of the growth of the homosexual emancipation movement in the GDR. Even though the striking milestones of German-American rainbow friendship may be well known, the collection will tap into specifically marginalized and as yet under-researched traditions, for example with regard to the Black German Movement or the history of the trans movement.
The scenography is being developed by the Berlin agency chezweitz, who were also responsible for the
Homosexualität_en exhibition by the German Historical Museum and the Schwules Museum.
The Washington component of the exhibition was curated by
Mary Claire Phillips. Mary Claire Phillips is a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Government & History in Honors. During her time on the Forty Acres she participated in the Frank Denius Normandy Scholar Program on WWII, as well as the Archer Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C. She's interned in the History & Public Policy Program at the Wilson Center, the Briscoe Center for American History, and the Wendy Davis campaign. She currently works as a Research Historian for History Associates Inc.
Mary Claire writes on American LGBT Servicewomen during WWII. Her work has been featured in the 2018 Harvard Kennedy School’s LGBT Policy Journal, as well as the Library of Congress’ Research Spotlight for Pride Month. When she’s not working, Mary Claire enjoys learning new languages, traveling, and knitting up a storm.
Curator Statement: "Growing up in the 21st century, many struggles that faced the queer community I’ve learned through historical texts and not first hand. It’s never missed me that this comfortable distance is because of the work of generations before me: a story I work hard to honor in my historical work. I am also keenly aware that the work is far from over for segments of our community. I see the role of historian as one of archival activist, and believe what’s past is prologue when confronting today’s queer issues.
I cherish DC’s LGBTQ+ community, and this exhibit is my way of giving back to the District. With almost every panel there are opportunities for you to interact with the people who make this community so wonderful: whether it be ways to advocate, experience, or directly give back. This exhibit is not meant to be passively consumed, rather it is an active exchange where visitors take the knowledge they learn and use it for the betterment of the community."
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