The SPD politician Klaus Wowereit is proud, 25 years after his legendary line “I’m gay, and that’s a good thing,” of the social debate he sparked with it.
“It of course made me very happy, because I wasn’t an activist for equality; I had always been involved in cultural policy or budget policy. So I wasn’t entirely sure what significance that line would have,” Wowereit said on WDR5’s “Morgenecho.” “But in hindsight I can say I’m quite proud that this single sentence really did so much, even on a personal level. Parents have written to me saying they can now stand by their children when the sitting Mayor is openly gay. Or, conversely, established professionals like a doctor with 30 years of experience have written to me that now he dares to come out in his professional circles. Yes, that makes you proud.”
At the same time, Wowereit warns about the risks that queer people still face in Germany: “We are now seeing a rightward shift in our society. In the polls for the AfD. That gives cause for grave concern; you can see similar tendencies across Europe. Therefore a society must be prepared to defend itself and stay vigilant. And it is also the duty of the majority to actively contribute to ensuring that we can all live in freedom and peace with all our differences, and that is something that must be defended.”
