Lynn van Els

About Lynn’s Research:

Within pop culture and public memory alike, Weimar Germany is often presented as a queer paradise. From gender affirming care to the world’s first gay emancipation movement and Berlin’s vibrant nightlife scene, it has become an essential reference point for global queer scholarship.

The Republic’s relatively lax censorship laws facilitated the emergence of a flourishing queer press, consisting of over thirty periodicals. They enabled their readers to express their identity and connect with other like-minded individuals. Within, we find not only the voices of scientific experts and political leaders, but of an emerging queer community.

This interdisciplinary PhD project investigates the inner workings and historical origins of such a community. By examining the connections between various sexual and gender identities, it challenges previous scholarship’s focus on single magazines or identity categories. Submitted articles, literary pieces, photographs and advertisements reveal how queer people defined the boundaries and nature of their collective identity. Through a comparative, intersectional and decolonial approach, it critically reflects on how class and race have shaped our understanding of queerness.

Its exploration of the limits, challenges and possibilities of queer solidarity enriches our understanding of queer history. Considering the global rise of populism and dismantling of legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, queer solidarity has become more important than ever. Thus, this research has not only the potential for future applications beyond a German context but also provides a vital point of comparison for contemporary activism and public engagement.