{"id":16900,"date":"2025-04-25T17:57:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T15:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=16900"},"modified":"2025-06-04T13:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T11:08:58","slug":"the-queer-battle-against-virus-and-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16900\/the-queer-battle-against-virus-and-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"The queer battle against virus and violence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HIV, AIDS and other ghosts haunt the city of Berlin. While medical progress has significantly reduced the number of new infections, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people are on the rise\u2014often fueled by the lingering stigmatization of the AIDS crisis. To make matters worse, the Berlin senate is scaling back financial support. But in hard times, the queer community knows where to find a safe space.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fresh Flowers lie beneath the memorial honoring queer people killed during the Nazi era. The pink triangle, once a symbol of persecution, has become a powerful emblem of queer resilience. The red tulips, roses and candles still placed recently at this site aren\u2019t only a nod to history\u2014they were laid there in mourning after a recent hate crime in which HIV and Dresden, a sign of right-wing groups in Germany, were sprayed in red over the mural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vandalised mural – \u00a9 @marcberthold.bsky.social\u202c<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Berlin drag queen and tour guide Anna Klatsche, the attack struck close to home. \u201cI was in shock. This spot is very dear to me. I walk past it every week with the Queer Kiez Tour,\u201d she tells me and the group she is guiding through the city today. Though the hateful graffiti was quickly removed, the trauma lingers. The past, it seems, is never too far behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\" Anna Klatsche