BY MICHAEL SOZE
Until the last days we have experienced again and again that parts of our community have ignored and trivialized the corona virus….e.g. Party forever, what do I care about tomorrow? But what does that mean?
The measures that have now come into force nationwide in Germany (and have been reality in Austria and Switzerland for some time) must now have clearly shown the last Happy Prince in our community that the situation is indeed serious.
So everything is at a shutdown? We humans are the only species on this planet that understands that there is a future. Who can plan and foresee. This has often given us an evolutionary advantage, in these times it sometimes makes us freeze.
We sit at home and our thoughts circle. About our jobs, about our fellow men, about friends, partners, about the LGBTQ community.
Also in our community the first losses are to be lamented, the first men directly from our community have died of the virus. We mourn, as the older ones among us did recently when the AIDS crisis flared up. Our clubs and associations fight every day to cushion the worst. Not everyone is likely to survive.
Who gets to go under the parachute and who doesn’t? What bureaucratic hurdles, some of them mad, still have to be overcome, even though help is supposed to be so uncomplicated and quick? Some on the scene are deeply saddened by the huge gap between political promises and measures that have not yet been implemented. All of this depresses us, and in some moments we can barely catch our breath.
But apart from the fact that we really stay at home as much as possible these days, we can do much more.
We can be there for each other.
This may seem almost antiquated to some people, as we have learned time and again in recent years how selective and cool the community can sometimes be, especially within its own circles. But the virus has changed something. Just as many people are now at least digitally getting closer together again, so does the LGBTQ community.
Whoever can, can support clubs financially, with donations and sometimes only with very unbureaucratic help. We can help our artists, buy tickets in advance, order books and films from gay bookstores. Call friends, talk, give hope, get close to them via Skype or Whatsapp. And of course we can also have fun together, be it via protals like Cam4.Com or in private two-person chat.
That might sound silly to some people, right? To think about sex in times of crisis? Or is it forbidden right now? Reality shows us that this is not the case. The daily user numbers of Pornhub and Co. are skyrocketing. And maybe we should look at it with more respect, because sex is also the desire for closeness, for lust, for shared feelings. For social interaction. Otherwise, even a dildo could do everything we do during sex, right?
And so we have to keep our love of life and also our passion alive. Yes, we have to look after each other now. We have to be strong together, just as our community had to be so many times before, when an external danger threatened all our lives, our rights. Under no circumstances must we allow ourselves to be divided.
Already now, for example, the first voices are calling for all CSDs to be cancelled this year. It is certainly a matter of dispute whether or not this seems proportionate at this stage. But here, too, we should not throw our way of life overboard so quickly. The CSDs in particular are not just a big party, they are also a strong signal for community.
Whether our parties this summer will be different, how they will take place, remains to be seen – at the moment it is probably too early to make final decisions for a whole year. The current situation is a dynamic one, we have to see how the coming weeks develop. Perhaps we will also find completely new ways of celebrating this common ground.
But what we can do now and today, with all the fear, with all the sadness, with all the depression, is to celebrate our life. Nevertheless! And even more than usual!
We’re not talking about Corona parties, definitely not. But we can celebrate our lives at home, create common ground within the community. The Internet with all its possibilities connects us. We can reach out to each other, fight our way through these times together in the best possible way. We must not give up or lose our joy of life, our will and our fight for a fulfilled life.
Let us all get through this time together, let us look forward hopefully. Let’s celebrate our lives, especially now, especially in these times. Write, phone, skype, sing and shout out our colorful community. We can and must also laugh, think about sex and imagine a better future. We must not lose that. We can’t lose that. Let us have courage together in these sometimes despondent times!
