Coming out

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Coming-out or coming-out ( English for “coming out”, meaning “deliberate, conscious making public”) describes the process of a person to acknowledge their sexual identity or their gender identity in private or public circles, if this deviates from the socially determined gender role that was previously unknown or should not be known. This article deals mainly with same-sex ( homosexual ) people coming out , but whose situation and problems are often similar to those of people who deviate in other ways from societal sexual norms and stereotypes .

The German lawyer Karl Heinrich Ulrichs came out in 1867 with a speech in front of 500 listeners at the German Juristentag and called for impunity and equal rights for homosexuals, as they would follow a “natural disposition”; he later wrote proudly that he had "faced the thousands-headed, furious-looking Hydra , which has really only too long sprayed me and my fellow naturalists with poison and drool ..."

background

Transgender symbol: the graphic mixture of the Martian symbol  ♂ ( male ) and the Venus symbol  ♀ ( female ) is intended to represent the diversity of sexual identities that deviate from classic gender roles and gender characteristics

Analogous to sexual orientation ( e.g. lesbian , gay , bisexual , heterosexual , asexual ), people who do not do justice to the socially prescribed scheme of heteronormativity in any other way also go through similar processes. The social expectation of a heterosexual orientation is not the only possible reason for a coming-out. Limited or no acceptance of sexual preferences or inclinations, such as sadomasochists or other forms of gender or sexual self-image such as transvestites and transgender people, have a similar effect . This gives rise to further complexes of questions such as gender roles and gender identity . In the case of transgender people, additional issues such as gender reassignment measures and the Transsexual Act , which can also be the result of a previous outing, may become topical.

Most people are brought up heteronormatively or even heterosexist , which means that they are brought up as if they were heterosexual, regardless of the actual sexual orientation. This is akin to raising left-handed people in earlier days, who were taught the same behavior as right-handed people. This is easier for society because you save yourself the need to differentiate, but for those affected it causes considerable difficulties. Studies show that the sexual orientation is at least partly determined by genetic factors and cannot be changed after birth. This was researched by Franz Josef Kallmann in the middle of the 20th century . Kallmann studied 40 monozygotic and 45 dizygoti male twins , at least one of whom identified himself as homosexual at the beginning of the study. In this sample, Kallmann found that 100% of the identical twins were both homosexual. More recent studies do not show complete agreement, but show a significantly higher agreement than that of brothers who were not identical twins. In addition, the latter also showed a significantly higher rate of same-sex orientation than would be expected based on the current state of knowledge of the static frequency. It is unknown whether and which other factors can be added after conception. So far, no serious cases are known in which the sexual orientation was successfully changed, despite numerous and intensive attempts mainly by activists of the Christian-conservative ex-gay movement . It can therefore be said that sexual orientation is immutable. This is sometimes illustrated by the phrase “You don't become gay, you are gay!”. In the course of coming out, an existing homosexual orientation is not developed , but only discovered .

Coming out as a process

In coming out, there are two phases, the internal coming-out and the outside coming out (for the latter, the more precise term has GoingPublic = go public not enforced in everyday use). The inner coming-out includes the part of the process up to the realization of a homosexual orientation in one's own person. The determination “I am homosexual!” Is first made for oneself. This phase can take different lengths of time, usually only begins with puberty and can sometimes drag on for many years.

The external coming-out is characterized by the fact that one explicitly reveals one's own sexual orientation to all or selected people in the social environment (or sometimes beyond), usually starting with close relatives and friends, and declares “I am homosexual!” then to other people. However, many homosexuals only inform part of their social environment.

The coming-out process is not tied to a specific age. There are cases when people at a relatively old age reveal their homosexuality to their families , colleagues or friends. Although these people, in contrast to younger people, are mostly financially independent and are not plagued by puberty problems, they have other problems because they have usually shown their surroundings for a very long time a fiction that is very difficult to revoke. In many cases they are even married (this is called “ mixed marriages ”) or have children.

Whenever a person concerned comes into a strange environment, for example starts a new job or moves to a new place, or meets strangers who he cannot assess at first glance, for example because they come from other cultural areas, this arises again and again for him new the question of whether and how he reveals his sexual identity to his surroundings.

There is no defined result for a coming-out process. The shades range from completely open to largely withdrawn life. The criterion is whether the person concerned has internally accepted their sexual orientation and not denied themselves. Someone can be aware of their homosexual predisposition or even have sexual relations with the same sex and still feel guilty or self-hatred ( called “ ego-dystonic sexual orientation” in psychiatric diagnostics ).

Homosexual people living in rural areas in Germany, Switzerland or Austria have a harder time compared to homosexual people in German, Swiss, Austrian medium-sized / large cities and therefore first look for information via the media (Internet, television, ...). Only when they feel confident enough do they reveal themselves to someone they trust or close friends. A revealing conversation with parents or relatives often takes place later and depends on the respective family circumstances. The coming out of the children is often an event for the parents that has a deep impact on their own ideas about life and values ​​and that can question their own life plans, such as a life with grandchildren. In a social context, they repeatedly experience problematic, often shame-ridden, situations when the conversation, for example, focuses on the question of the child's partner. Often such questions are then answered evasively or a small coming-out situation is experienced.

Depending on the culture, people with a migration background often face particular difficulties when they come out.

In many cultures, family structures are even more pronounced than they are in Western Europe today. Especially in the countries influenced by Islam , but also in the Latin American and Eastern European countries, which are strongly influenced by the conservative Christian values ​​of the Catholic and Orthodox churches , there are clear ideas about gender roles . These patriarchal societies, also known colloquially as macho societies, bring their views of hierarchy and cohesion within a family with them, and are often welded even closer together under the impression of the "new culture" that appears threatening and alien to them.

The disappointment is all the stronger when the expectations of the gender roles cannot be met because the homosexual son / daughter deviates from this pattern. In the conservative interpretation of Christianity ( see: Homosexuality and Christianity ) and in the conservative interpretation of Islam ( see: Homosexuality in Islam ), homosexuality is viewed as " sinful ". A gay son brings "shame" to the family in several ways in the eyes of many Muslims. Often the son is expelled from the house after he comes out, and occasionally there are even acts of violence that allegedly restore the " honor " believed to be lost . Many of the gay migrants from these cultures therefore refrain from initiating their families. Often the sexual orientation is lived in secret or more openly in another city, so that two spheres emerge which normally do not touch.

Emotional aspects

Due to the normative upbringing of homosexual people, there are sometimes considerable tensions between the expectations of those around them and the feelings that actually exist. For example, while other boys feel sexual arousal at the sight of girls, gay boys feel very differently in the same situation. This objectively existing difference often leads to a subjective feeling of being different and also of being alone . Many homosexuals initially believe that they are all alone and unique with their feelings.

Provided that there is no threat of persecution of homosexuals, lesbians and gays can resolve this emotional dilemma by understanding and accepting that they are actually different and, moreover, realizing that the expectations placed on them by others are not binding on them. The people concerned break away from the role expectations of their environment, they emancipate themselves from the role as heterosexuals. This requires a great deal of courage and self-confidence , as it also means admitting that you belong to a minority , some of which are still struggling with considerable resistance in the state and society.

Depending on the region and culture, homosexuals have to reckon with different levels of resistance, which can make self-discovery very difficult. These range from simple resentment and prejudice to acute danger to life. In some regions, especially Islamic regions, homosexual acts are threatened with considerable prison terms, including the death penalty. In many Islamic states, the Sharia is the basis of the legislation, which provides for a punishment, but without specifying the type of punishment.

Nevertheless, even a negative reaction from the environment, or even just the expectation of one, is enough to trigger stress reactions in those affected, which can lead to extreme consequences including suicide . One of the most prominent victims who committed suicide after an involuntary outing was the mathematician and computer pioneer Alan Turing .

Young people in particular are at risk in such cases: In addition to puberty problems, there are questions like “Am I normal?” “Am I alone like that?” This also illustrates the increased suicide attempt rate among young homosexual people.

It therefore requires a considerable degree of trust in their environment on the part of those affected in order to reveal their own sexual orientation to others. Sometimes those affected shy away from coming out for fear of a possible negative reaction, although such a negative reaction is actually not threatened.

Alluding on the one hand to the considerable emotional stress associated with coming out and on the other hand to the fact that homosexuality is partly innate, some of those affected use the saying: "You are not gay, you have worked hard for that!"

Overcoming prejudices as a precondition for personal acceptance

Widespread prejudice as a self-blockade

In some of the homosexual people, depending on their culture and their own family and social environment, social prejudices play a significant inhibiting role in the process of "self-admission" and positive acceptance of their own sexual predisposition - i.e. the inner coming-out . The predominance of a heteronormative view of the world and family - such as the "papa-mom-child" constellation as a social norm - in most of today's societies almost automatically makes homosexuals a "different" outsider , usually also in self-perception.

Many homosexuals accept at least in their youth, sometimes for life, the image of the “unnatural”, “abnormal” or even “abnormally predisposed” given by society and can never completely free themselves from these prejudices. This can lead to years of denial of one's own sexuality and to entering into heterosexual partnerships in order to maintain the image of the socially accepted and "normal" externally and in front of oneself - that means, because of the lack of inner coming out, it does not come to the outer coming-out. However, this suppression strategy usually does not lead to the desired "success", but rather to unstable relationships, permanent misfortune, psychological crises or a double life .

People who carry such a conflict within themselves and do not resolve it, also often have feelings of guilt or self-hatred because of their sexual orientation, which they classify as something undesirable, unwanted and stressful. This can develop into a real mental illness, in psychiatric diagnostics one speaks of “ ego-dystonic sexual orientation ”.

Overcoming prejudices and acceptance as a "natural phenomenon"

A first step towards the resolution of such conflicts and one's own acceptance can be the knowledge that the determination of people to a sexual identity and the subsequent exclusion and negative evaluation of "homosexuality" has only been a phenomenon of the last centuries. In earlier times and still today, homosexual behavior was so taken for granted in some societies that they do not even know the appropriate terms to denote and differentiate between homosexuality and heterosexuality. In addition, it has now been scientifically proven that homosexuality is also extremely widespread in the animal kingdom, which is often cited as a counter-argument to the standard prejudice “Nature (or also: God ) only wants man and woman to father children together”.

In sex science , too , homosexual behavior is now considered to be “equivalent” to heterosexual behavior. The stigmatization of homosexuality as "abnormal" or "unnatural", which is still widespread today, is therefore to be seen as the result of man-made developments and false prejudices, which were promoted by the three book religions of Islam , Christianity and Judaism , and are still partly today.

After overcoming or negating such prejudices, the self-confident or even proud handling of one's own homosexual disposition - usually outward, which, however, requires an inner coming-out - is also referred to with the English term gay pride :

"Gay Pride is a feeling of strong self-esteem combined with the public affirmation of a person's homosexuality."

- Canadian Oxford Dictionary : since 2004

Historical development

The intensity of the persecution of homosexuals is decreasing worldwide; state persecution in particular has declined sharply over the past 50 years, particularly in Europe. At the same time, the acceptance of homosexuality in many cultures has increased significantly, which is also expressed in increasing legal equality with heterosexuals. Therefore, coming-out is easier today than it used to be.

At the same time, there are platforms on the Internet today with a wide range and extensive range of information. Here, those affected can conveniently and anonymously obtain information without endangering themselves. In addition, a safe exchange with other people is possible and even advice, which can reduce the uncertainty of those affected. In the past, this was not possible, as people often made themselves vulnerable by wanting information about homosexuality.

One of the first documented public coming-outs was provided by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs , a German lawyer , sexologist and the first known campaigner for the rights of homosexuals. He revealed himself to his family in 1862 and began a few years later to publish his research and claims under his full name. In 1867, in a speech at the German Juristentag in front of 500 listeners, he self-confidently demanded impunity and legal equality of same-sex love, as this is based on a “natural disposition”. He had to break off his speech because of loud protests from the audience. Ulrichs was proud of this performance and later wrote:

"Until my death I will consider it to my credit that on August 29, 1867 in Munich I found the courage in me to face a thousand-year-old, many thousand-headed, furious-looking hydra that made me and my fellow naturalists [meaning: homosexual men] has only been too long, sprayed with poison and drool, drove many to suicide, their happiness in life poisoned everyone. Yes, I am proud that I found the strength to give the Hydra of public contempt a first lance thrust. "

The sexologist Volkmar Sigusch called Ulrichs the “first gay in world history” because of this conscious “coming-out” and his self-confident attitude .

Development of the term

Symbolic representation: "Coming-out" literally refers to the English "Coming out of the closet" - coming out of the closet (one's own secrecy).

The phrase "coming out", adopted from English , which in English origins includes both the appearance of a debutante when she comes of age and the process of leaving a hidden room (or a remote room) ("coming out of the closet "), has acquired a fixed meaning in the German language that cannot be replaced by any other German words. The Germanized word outen also has its own additional meanings:

  • (transitive): Outing someone or compulsory outing is the controversial disclosure of his or her sexually deviating orientation against the will of the person concerned, which is also controversial in the lesbian and gay community. In general, the practice is frowned upon. However, it is more likely to be accepted and then viewed as a kind of self-defense if the person concerned is e.g. B. actively involved in politics against homosexuals. For more information, see Outing .
  • Outing oneself is often used in a very general environment to jokingly announce that one leans towards an attitude, taste or something similar that is frowned upon in the respective group. Example: In a youth group someone says: I'll come out as a classic lover.
  • Outen is now also used colloquially to announce any private biographical moments, e.g. B: I'll come out with something from my training time .

Help offers and self-help

A positive reaction from the environment has a relieving effect on those affected. They often feel liberated and their confidence confirmed. You tend to be optimistic about the future.

That is why there are now groups and organizations in German-speaking countries in all major cities that offer help and self-help. For rural areas, supraregional organizations are active, mostly via websites or telephone services.

Special coming-out groups are often offered for homosexual young people, in which young people looking for information and help can discuss all questions on the topic and, in addition, often find contact with like-minded people.

"Coming-out" of celebrities

Klaus Wowereit , right (SPD), was the first prominent German politician to admit his homosexuality in 2001 with the popular saying “I'm gay, and that's a good thing”

Media-effective public outing of celebrities rarely takes place. If it was initiated itself, it usually has a deeper reason. There are announcements only to the media world, as it is no longer a secret for the closer environment. Most of the time, for a variety of reasons, it was never discussed one by one within standard reports. It is thus an even more difficult balancing act: On the one hand, it is about simply announcing a sexual orientation that does not correspond to the social norm as well as an often existing same-sex companion, which already alone and in everyday life through the automatic "heterosexual presumption" often as a border crossing from the private to the sexual sphere is felt. On the other hand there is the sensationalism of the media, which often see it as a media event with increasing circulation. As soon as the start has been made, the reporting can hardly be controlled any more. In the United States, the weekly People or the monthly Advocate , in Germany the Bild -Zeitung and in Austria the weekly magazine News act as the medium for a high-profile “going public” .

With his speech on the nomination for the office of Governing Mayor of Berlin in 2001, Klaus Wowereit wanted to forestall any emerging issues in the media during the election campaign. With his saying “I'm gay, and that's a good thing”, which has now become a popular phrase, he was the first high-ranking German politician to flee to the front. On this occasion, Jan Feddersen wrote in the daily newspaper taz : “This is what sets him apart from colleagues like Guido Westerwelle or Ole von Beust.” In the end, it even gave him a slight advantage in the choice due to the credibility it conveyed, which was not foreseeable in advance .

This was followed in 2003 by Ole von Beust , who was accused by his then Interior Senator and coalition partner Ronald Schill of being a partner and a related mixture of private and office. Von Beust took it as an attempt at extortion and dismissed Schill, who then told some alleged details. Later, the supposed partner and real student friend and apartment tenant Roger Kusch came out. A short time later, the last doubts were removed by an interview with von Beust's father. Von Beust was ultimately happy about it, as everything essential was said in it and he only had to refer to it. Both won sympathy points in the subsequent election. Hans-Ulrich Jörges wrote in Stern: “With Ole von Beust, a gay Christian democrat who is committed to his orientation has won an absolute“ bourgeois ”majority. There are liberals [meaning Westerwelle] who lack the courage to do so. "

Guido Westerwelle with his partner Michael Mronz in 2009. He went public in 2004, after the connection with Mronz would have come to the public anyway through his expected state office as Foreign Minister. Journalists knew years in advance, but had treated this as a private matter in accordance with the press code.

Guido Westerwelle hadn't hidden his private life for years, not even from journalists, with whom he had joked years earlier at a party convention: "Out me." He also went to events in the scene or street parades more often and was in October First edition of Out! recorded, to which he himself contributed the photo. But he had never officially commented on it. In the general media, according to the unwritten rules of political journalists, it was almost never discussed as “private”. In homosexual media, on the other hand, it was mostly mentioned casually, not sensationally in reports or implied, and there were occasional discussions in the gay scene . In 2001 he became party chairman and in the federal elections in 2002 he ran as a candidate for chancellor. In a discussed black-yellow coalition after the subsequent election, he was under discussion as a possible foreign minister . The diplomatic protocol alone would bring the partner into the public light, provided that one does not want to deliberately exclude him and thus also part of everyday life. So it was clear that the public as well as the party members and many executives of the potential conservative coalition partner should be prepared for the topic and a reasonably official outing - in whatever form - was in the room. In the spring and summer of 2004 he then appeared with his partner Michael Mronz at more or less official appointments. The first thing that Der Spiegel reported in a note on June 28 was a “male companion” and a “silent outing” and “set the bomb, so to speak.” After that, the joint public appearances became more frequent. In the local press in Cologne there was quiet speculation about what was going on, but no clear report was made. After an invitation to Angela Merkel's birthday party , he and his partner said yes. There the two sat next to each other in the front row on July 19. Hours after the event, a Berlin photographer offered the pictures with the note that Westerwelle had shown himself "for the first time" with his friend. On July 21st, the picture published the photo in large format on the front page with the headline: “FDP boss Guido Westerwelle loves this man.” Inside, Hugo Müller-Vogg explained how Westerwelle uncovered “his biggest secret” and that the man came up the photo "now officially introduced as a partner of the FDP chairman". The report was received with goodwill by Westerwelle and commented on in the FDP, also with regard to the paper, as “appropriate”. Further inquiries from journalists were answered the next day with the statements “I live my life and that's all I say about it” (Westerwelle), “ Private life is a private matter” (press office) and “I have not yet commented on my private life and will do so do not do in the future ”(Mronz) blocked. Despite the sensation, the picture article was formulated in a strikingly benevolent way for the time and was based entirely on partnership and not on sex. Only now did a clear report on Westerwelle appear for the first time on the Kölner Express on the same day . After a brief hustle and bustle, things went back to business very quickly. But after that the media could report it officially and without any possible fear if both were spotted together at an event.

George Takei , the actor of "Mr. Sulu, from Starship Enterprise , openly admitted to being gay to support the same-sex marriage movement in the United States.

George Takei spoke out publicly about his longstanding relationship, and thus automatically about his homosexuality, in support of the general demands for a gay marriage . Balian Buschbaum went public as a trans man on November 21, 2007 regarding his termination of his sports career and on January 24, 2008 with Johannes B. Kerner , as there are few contact points in society and very little and very inaccurate information on the subject of transsexuality and in particular about female-to-male transsexuals. “That's why I thought: I have to change something, I have to educate.” He also said: “Going public is not difficult for me, but a logical consequence. There is no reason to hide. ”When he was still a woman, he had never felt comfortable in his skin and was perceived as a lesbian, although he never felt that way. It was a story of suffering and the step towards change is something positive for him, a clarification, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. The attention didn't bother him, "it just burst out of me now [...] I'm fine: I've let everything out and talked about everything."

Some also seem to have their “going public” several times, especially when a headline or an advertising factor is needed in the tabloids. When Richard Chamberlain it was the first time in 1989 in the media, in 1991 he himself spoke about the first time and thus took his "going public". With the publication of his biography in 2003 he was again presented in the media as supposedly "finally out". Another example is Ulrike Folkerts , who has not lived in hiding for a long time, has also participated in sporting events such as the Gay Games and the EuroGames since 1996 and spoke in 1998 about her relationship and her participation in Christopher Street Day . Nevertheless, she appeared twice on the Bild title page in 1999 and 2005 with her being a lesbian . The rebellious Inge Meysel repeatedly stood up for her ideals, tolerance, justice and moral courage and found the image of the “mother of the nation” to be unsuitable for her. She had many gay friends and her open and direct manner made her popular with gays and lesbians. In 1975, in front of 300 people in a theater talk show based on the “hot chair” scheme in the Hamburg painter's hall, she admitted that she had already slept with a woman. Der Spiegel reported about it in a subordinate clause. In 1986 Stern printed the quote “The love between women is a future” as your comment on a picture by Gustave Courbet with a lesbian act of love. In an interview with Alice Schwarzer for the January 1987 issue of Emma, ​​she said that in her teenage years there was no room for a committed relationship with a man. It was clear to her that she would then become pregnant, but this was not compatible with her career aspirations as an actress. “Men were canceled until 21, then it happened after all. But by then I had had a love affair with a woman for a long time. With a collegue. Tempi passati. “Her same-sex experience and her commitment to a certain bisexuality only became really known from 1992 onwards. After a talk show appearance, the headline on April 24, 1992 was:“ Courageous confession. Inge Meysel: I loved women. ”In a dpa interview in 1992, she was quoted as saying:“ I was bisexual, I, the 'mother of the nation'. ”And“ At 17, I got to know physical love through a woman. But that was the only time. " In an interview with the Bunter in 2001, she said: "If you are not bisexual, you are missing out on the best."

In 1991 Rosa von Praunheim revealed some homosexual colleagues from film, radio and television. These included u. a. Alfred Biolek and Hape Kerkeling .

The announcement of the voluntary BDSM engagement of the UN weapons inspector Jack McGeorge led to an extensive media campaign directed against him in the Anglo-Saxon region, in the course of which Hans Blix and Hua Jiang, press spokeswoman for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan , clearly sided with McGeorge.

See also

literature

  • Ellen Bass, Kate Kaufman: We love who we want: Self-help for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-929823-62-4 .
  • Thomas Grossmann : Gay, so what? Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-499-19109-1 .
  • Claudia Krell, Kerstin Oldemeier: Coming out - and then ... ?! Coming-out processes and experiences of discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans * and queer adolescents and young adults in Germany. Federal Agency for Civic Education , Bonn 2018, ISBN 978-3-7425-0170-7 .
  • Kathrin Passig, Ira Strübel: The Choice of Qual. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-61692-0 .
  • Silvy Pommerenke: kisses in pink. The lesbian coming-out book. Krug & Schadenberg, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-930041-62-6 .
  • Sonja Schock: And then you came - and I loved a woman. Krug & Schadenberg, Berlin 1997, ISBN 978-3-930041-12-1 .
  • Bärbel Schomers: Coming-out - Queer Identities between Discrimination and Emancipation. Budrich, Opladen u. a. 2018, ISBN 978-3-86388-789-6 .
  • Meike Watzlawik, Friederike Wenner: ... and I thought you were pregnant! Women tell about their coming out. Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-932855-06-X .
  • Pia Werner, Barbara Wörmann: Jane loves Julia: the coming-out book. Droemer Knaur, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-426-77449-6 .
  • Kurt Wiesendanger: Deeper coming-out: gay self-confidence beyond hedonism and depression. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2005, ISBN 3-525-46232-8 .
  • Rolf Winiarski: Total coming-out. The guide for a self-confident life. Gmünder, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-86187-323-0 .
  • Dorit Zinn : My son loves men. Frankfurt / M. 1992, ISBN 3-596-11260-5 .
    Turkish translation: Oğlum erkekleri seviyor, ISBN 975-7836-10-9 .

Artistic exploration

Films that specifically deal with the coming-out:

comics

Web links

Wiktionary: Coming-out  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Germany

Switzerland

  • "You-are-you" - advice and information for young people on the topics of homosexuality, bisexuality and trans *
  • traudi.ch - advice site for homosexual Swiss youth
  • Coming Out Day - Homepage for the annual COD (on October 11th)

Austria

SM

  • SMJG - self-help group for sadomasochistic and interested young people between the ages of 18 and 27 years
  • sm-outing.de - Information for affected sadomasochists

References and comments

  1. ^ Duden online : Coming-out, Comingout, das. Accessed on November 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ See also gender identity disorder
  3. ↑ Milton Diamond: Bisexuality from a Biological Point of View. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
  4. ↑ The predisposition for homosexuality in men is possibly inherited through the maternal line and could possibly have become evolutionarily established because the same genetic factors increase the fertility of female relatives. Homosexuality in Evolution ( Memento from November 8, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Udo Rauchfleisch: Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals. Lifestyles, prejudices, insights . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001. ISBN 3-525-01425-2
  6. ↑ Occasionally people with a bisexual orientation are used as an example, who initially have predominantly same-sex relationships and later have different sexes. With these, however, it should be noted that they remain bisexual throughout and that their sexual orientation does not change.
  7. ↑ Joachim Braun: I don't want chocolate - The coming-out book for gays Rowohlt (2001) ISBN 3-499-61142-2 ( content )
  8. ↑ Studies prove: Even after 25 years of Christopher Street Day, coming out is difficult for many young men and women ( Memento from August 21, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ ICD-10 F66.1 "Ichdystonic Sexual Orientation"
  10. ↑ Sigrid Pusch: Self-presentation of the BEFAH e. V. Accessed May 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ ILGA-EUROPA: Equality between lesbians and gays - A relevant question for every area (PDF; 550 kB): Page 14 f .: Paragraph 1 Youth
  12. ↑ ILGA-EUROPA: Equality between lesbians and gays - Germany (PDF; 550 kB): Page 38 f .: c) Violence against gays and lesbians and paragraph d) Immigrants
  13. ↑ Two gay youths hanged in Tehran
  14. ↑ Study shows six times higher suicide attempt rate among gay adolescents in Austria
  15. ↑ Originally: Letter to the editor in DER SPIEGEL No. 32/1993 of August 9, 1993: Born gay? I say no. You didn't come into the world with that, you worked hard for it. (Simon H. Kappes, Leverkusen)
  16. ↑ ICD-10 F66.1 "Ichdystonic Sexual Orientation"
  17. ^ Nathan W. Bailey, Marlene Zuk : Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution. In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Volume 24, 2009, pp. 439-446, doi: 10.1016 / j.tree.2009.03.014 ; see also eurekalert.org : "Same-sex behavior seen in nearly all animals, review finds"
  18. ↑ Udo Rauchfleisch: Statement on the brochure: "Homo marriage !? No to the yes-word "of the pastoral organization" Wüstenstrom " ( Memento from January 7th, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF file; 18 kB). Archived from the original on January 7, 2009, Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  19. ↑ "gay pride [noun] a sense of strong self-esteem associated with a person's public acknowledgment of their homosexuality."
    Quoted in: Adrian Brune: Gay terms added to dictionary in Canada. ( Memento of May 11, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) In: washingtonblade.com. August 27, 2004. Archived from the original on May 11, 2006, retrieved on May 28, 2017.
  20. ↑ Karl Heinrich Ulrichs: "Gladius furens": the natural riddle of Urningsliebe and the error as a legislator: a provocation to the German Juristentag. sixth book on male-male love. Max Spohr, 1898
  21. ↑ Volkmar Sigusch : Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, The first gay in world history. Swarm of Men, 2000, ISBN 978-3-86149-105-7
  22. ↑ Christopher Knoll: Study of Lesbians and Gays in the Working World, June 1996.
  23. ↑ Jan Feddersen : And that's a good thing. In: taz.de . June 12, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Ole who has freed himself" - Interview with Achim-Helge Freiherr von Beust , Welt am Sonntag, August 31, 2003
  25. ^ Ole von Beust privately in Bunte , Eurogay.net, February 13, 2004.
  26. ↑ Stefan Berg, Klaus Brinkbäumer, Jürgen Dahlkamp, ​​Per Hinrichs, Sebastian Knauer, Cordula Meyer, Andreas Ulrich, Christoph Schult: Das rosa Rathaus . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 2003, p. 34 ( online ).
  27. ↑ Hans-Ulrich Jörges: Black eats yellow, ( Memento from March 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) in: Stern , 11/2004, March 3, 2004.
  28. ↑ Hans-Hermann Kotte: Helga, Guido and the genius from Weimar. In: Berliner Zeitung . October 7, 1997, accessed July 10, 2015 .
  29. ↑ Petra Bornhöft: FREIDEMOKRATEN - Against any arrangement . In: Der Spiegel . No. 27 , 2004, p. 33-34 ( online ).
  30. ↑ spiegel.de of July 21, 2004
  31. ↑ Matthias Gebauer: Westerwelle's Outing - Guidos staged revelation , spiegel.de, July 21, 2004
    Photo for Out !: "[...] he even voluntarily sent a photo to the makers of a list of prominent gays."
  32. ↑ Athlete Buschbaum comes out as transsexual , Spiegel online, November 21, 2007
  33. ↑ Jörg Winterfeldt: Transsexual Buschbaum “dream of life” is fulfilled , Welt Online, January 25, 2008
  34. ↑ Christian Fuchs: From Yvonne to Balian Buschbaum , Leichtathletik.de, January 25, 2008
  35. ↑ Hot chair . In: Der Spiegel . No. 23 , 1975, p. 138 ( online ).
  36. ↑ Alice Schwarzer: Inge Meysel: The hybrid. Emma, ​​January 1987. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  37. ↑ Karin Schupp: Fear of the wild lesbians , Querverlag, 1998, ISBN 3-89656-031-X , p. 12
  38. ^ Dpa: Meysel quotes - "I was bisexual, I, the mother of the nation" , faz.net, July 10, 2004