The Mainz City Archive is building a new collection on the history of queer people in the state capital of Rheinland-Pfalz. The first results of the project, launched in 2022 together with the city’s Coordination Office for LSBTIQ Equality, were presented on Thursday by Mayor Nino Haase (nonpartisan) and representatives of the city archive.
The aim of that initial call was to preserve a wide range of materials from queer communities. Associations, initiatives, and private individuals responded to the appeal and donated photos, documents, brochures, flyers, and posters from the second half of the 20th century.
Bringing Queer Life Out of Historical Invisibility
The newly created collection will be systematically organized for the first time and made accessible to researchers as well as the general public. Historical sources on queer life in Mainz have thus far been sparingly documented and often not recognizable as such, the City Archive announced.
“Historical sources on LSBTIQ people exist in many archive holdings, but are rarely labeled as such,” emphasized Mayor Haase, underscoring the significance of the project. “With the new collection we are literally bringing queer life out of historical invisibility into the center of society.”
Exhibition Planned
Also highlighting the strong response to the 2022 call, deputy archive director Frank Teske noted. Many traces of queer history were at risk of being lost “if they are not consciously collected and archived,” he said.
To expand the collection further, Mainz City Archive is seeking additional written and visual sources on Mainz’s queer history. In parallel, the City Archive, the Coordination Office, the City Historical Museum, and the House of Remembrance are developing an exhibition on the topic. They are also looking for clothing items, photographs, films, and everyday objects that can be donated or lent to the City Historical Museum.
