First gay demonstration in Germany

The lesbian and gay movement enters into the public eye

Section 175 of the German Criminal Code had forbidden “unnatural fornication” between men since 1872 and mandated a prison sentence for offenders. Although the nascent homosexual movement that emerged at the end of the 19th century was able to make progress in changing attitudes during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich extended Paragraph 175 to encompass all “lewd” acts. Whilst the DDR abolished the paragraph in 1968, it was merely reformed in West Germany in 1969 and 1973. Although sexual acts between consenting adult men were now no longer illegal, homosexuality remained a social taboo in both Germanies, and gay men continued to suffer abuse and discrimination. The expression of homosexual identities was also seriously curtailed; West German courts often banned protests and demonstrations on public order grounds and in order to defend the “moral law”. As late as 1970, CSU leader Strauß publicly stated: “better a cold warrior than a warm brother”.

The 1970s saw the advent of an increasingly confident international gay and lesbian movement. In Germany, 200 homosexuals took to the streets in Münster on 28 April 1972 to protest publicly against discrimination. Although further pressure changed the social climate, Paragraph 175 was not abolished until 1994.