29.7.25 // Berlin's Queer and Trans History

If you moved to Berlin to find community as a queer or trans person, you're part of a long tradition. Berlin has always been that kind of city. Trans people have always existed but we gained a special visibility in Berlin at the turn of the 20th century, particularly due to the work of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at his Institute of Sexual Science. As Hirschfeld attempted to understand homosexuality through his studies, he realized that some of the people who came to him were experiencing something altogether different! His pioneering work led him to the discovery that

"the sex of a human being rests far more in the soul than in the body, or, to use a medical turn of phrase, far more in the brain than in the genitals."

Working with politicians and the police, Hirschfeld helped to shape Weimar Berlin into a queer haven where people could live astonishingly authentic lives for the standards of the time. We'll dive deep into that delightful, decandent world but from our standpoint 100 years later, we also know what's coming. The rise to power of the National Socialists had catastrophic consequences for Berlin's queer community and we will go into that as well. We'll also talk about the post-war period and what work is still being done today to gain visibility for queer people harmed by the National Socialists. 

Because of the subject matter, the talk necessarily carries a content warning. This history is not an easy thing to examine but I promise you that by the end of our time together, you will have a sense of how queers today have inherited Berlin against the odds from some truly extraordinary people. They will stay with you and inspire you as you face your own struggles in the (20)20s in Berlin. 

Eliot Rix has lived in Berlin since 2014 and works as a history tour guide for Berliner Unterwelten e.V. He got into queer history as an amateur to find a sense of belonging as a gay, trans man and Berlin's history in particular did not disappoint. He wants to help other people connect firmly with their queer heritage at a time when so many forces are trying to deny and erase us. History is identity, identity is community and community is how we survive.