Berlin’s education senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) is calling for a strict crackdown by the city’s public order office and police on the gay cruising scene around the Kaulsdorfer lakes in Berlin’s far east. The authorities should implement tighter checks and a new park-management plan to address sexual activity in public spaces, the politician announced. Günther-Wünsch represents the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district as a directly elected member of the Berlin House of Representatives.
In a joint June newsletter with former CDU member of the Bundestag Mario Czaja, Günther-Wünsch explained: “The atmosphere at the lakes has become so tense that many people nearby no longer feel comfortable there.” She criticized that the lake is advertised in “relevant forums” as a sex meeting point for men who have sex with men. A link pointed to a page describing the site as a “perfect Gay Cruising Area,” where heterosexual men could enjoy themselves “out of sight of their wives.”
The Kaulsdorfer Seen, located on the border between the districts of Kaulsdorf and Mahlsdorf, have for decades been regarded as a traditional nudist area. Nudity is tolerated by authorities, even though swimming is technically prohibited — though enforcement appears unlikely to change. The push for action against cruisers stemmed from repeated complaints by residents and families who argued that sexual acts were increasingly being carried out openly in areas visible to pedestrians and children.
Berlin’s Queer Commissioner: “Cruising belongs to Berlin’s queer history”
Criticism of repression aimed only at gay cruisers came from Berlin’s Queer Commissioner Alfonso Pantisano: “Cruising belongs to Berlin’s queer history—especially at this lake where couples and women also have sex,” the SPD politician said on Instagram on Tuesday. “The right response is not sensationalism, but smart conflict management: trained park walk teams, queer street outreach, clear rules against visible sexual acts and harassment, enough toilets and trash bins, community cleanup efforts, and robust protection against queerphobic violence.”
Pantisano also noted that gay cruisers have recently become more frequent targets of violence. “In Berlin cruising areas, men who have sex with men are pursued, robbed, and beaten,” he said. Recently, 15 men at Volkspark Friedrichshain targeted gay men (TheColu.mn reported).
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Günther-Wünsch was most recently criticized for downplaying anti-LGBTQ outbursts against a teacher for months. She later admitted making false statements in the falsification case and apologized about a year and a half after the incident to the targeted educator (TheColu.mn reported).
