Heinz Uth

Heinz Uth (born January 27, 1936 in Berlin ; died January 30, 2016 there ) was a German police officer in Berlin who became the first homosexual officer (official: contact person for same-sex lifestyles ) of the police in Germany in 1992 . For his commitment against homophobia he received the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon .

Life

Heinz Uth was born in 1936 in the Berlin district of Lichtenberg to a cook and a cooper . Since the father was first as a soldier in the war and later in captivity, Uth grew up with his mother and three younger siblings until the end of the war. After an apprenticeship in toolmaking , Uth applied to the Berlin police in the 1960s , where he rose to the rank of chief detective .

In the 1960s, he was used in student protests in the so-called “discussion squad” in order to de-escalate demonstrations in discussions.

In 1990, Uth, in his role as chief police officer, uncovered robbery of numerous acts by a gang that assaulted and robbed homosexuals in the Wilmersdorfer Prussia Park . The youth gang confessed to 50 robberies, but the police had only received six reports from victims. This suggested that homosexuals probably did not turn to the police, as they were still experienced by many gays as anti-homosexual despite the abolition of Section 175 . In order to change this situation, Uth was appointed the first homosexual commissioner of the Berlin police and this is the first time that this office has been awarded nationwide.

Uth's task was to establish contact with the homosexual scene in Berlin and to encourage them to turn to the police with confidence in the event of acts of violence or other crimes. At well-known gay meeting places, such as the Berlin zoo or the fairy tale fountain in Volkspark Friedrichshain , he used an information vehicle to talk to the scene and provided information on ways to help in the event of anti-gay attacks. He also maintained contact with the landlords around Schöneberger Nollendorfplatz and the adjacent Motzstrasse , another center of homosexual culture in Berlin. Together with the hosts and the Maneo gay attack phone , Uth initiated the first lesbian-gay city festival (also called Motzstrasse Festival ) in this Schöneberg neighborhood in 1993 to set an example against ongoing homophobic attacks.

Uth also campaigned against homophobia within the police. He advised colleagues on their gay or lesbian coming-out and supported the first open transsexual policewoman in the German police force. Uth was a co-founder of the association of lesbian and gay police officers in Berlin-Brandenburg . In 1995 Uth received the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon for his commitment against homophobia after homosexuals had proposed him for it. It is thanks to Uth that gay police officers in all major German cities now dare to come out, wrote the gay association in Germany about the award. It is also thanks to Uth that homosexuals today can dare to report attacks. In the meantime (2016) there are homosexual officers in the police in around 40 major German cities, many of whom asked Uth to explain this task to them.

In 1996, "Hetero-Uth", as many homosexuals affectionately called him, retired. In 1999 he received the Rainbow Award from the Rainbow Fund at the Motzstrasse Festival for people and organizations that are particularly committed to homosexual issues.

In addition to his professional activities, Uth was an avid marathon runner (personal best: 2 hours 24 minutes). He founded the Running and Triathlon Club (LTC) and after his retirement also trained other marathon runners in the LTC; The pentathlete Kim Raisner (5th place at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens) was trained by him.

Uth died in January 2016, three days after his 80th birthday, of complications from a major operation. He left behind his wife and two grown children.

“With the death of Heinz Uth, Berlin loses one of its most important advocates for the issues of the queer scene. As the first point of contact for a German police authority for gays and lesbians, he has made a significant contribution to reducing reservations of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans * and inter *) people against the police and countering prejudice among the police. We are very grateful to him for this pioneering work, ”wrote Anja Kofbinger and Thomas Birk , queer political spokesmen for the Greens in the Berlin House of Representatives , in a press release on Uth's death.

The funeral service and burial of the urn took place on February 26, 2016 at the state-owned cemetery Heerstraße in Berlin-Westend .

Awards

• Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon for his commitment against homophobia (1995)
• Rainbow Award (1999)
• Honorary membership in the association of lesbian and gay police officers Berlin-Brandenburg

Individual evidence

1. ^ Obituary on the homepage of the Association of Lesbian and Gay Police Officers Berlin-Brandenburg , published on January 31, 2016, accessed on April 30, 2016
2. ↑ The first gay officer of the police , obituary in Tagesspiegel of April 28, 2016, accessed on April 30, 2016
3. ^ Hunting for gay men , Zeit article, January 12, 1996, accessed April 30, 2016
4. ↑ Berlin mourns Heinz Uth , obituary on queer.de , accessed on April 30, 2016
5. ↑ Heinz Uth, gay officer at the police , article in the Berliner Zeitung from November 16, 1995, accessed on April 30, 2016
6. ↑ A bridge builder is dead: Mourning for Heinz Uth , obituary in the Berliner Morgenpost from February 2, 2016, accessed on April 30, 2016
7. ^ In memory of Heinz Uth , obituary of the Siegessäule magazine , accessed on April 30, 2016
8. ↑ We mourn Heinz Uth , press release from the Berlin Green Group on February 1, 2016, accessed on April 30, 2016
9. ^ Family obituary notice. From: Der Tagesspiegel . February 7, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2019.