City Tour Highlights: Bravery, Resistance, and Overlooked Tales of Ravensburg's Queer History
In the heart of Ravensburg, a special city tour organised by the Queer Network of Oberschwaben took place on Friday. This tour, which has become a significant event in the region, offers a unique insight into the queer history of Oberschwaben.
The tour, led by a local drag performer, takes participants through old and new Ravensburg, showcasing activists, theaters, bookstores, and sites of resistance that have played pivotal roles in shaping queer life in the region.
The Queer Network of Oberschwaben has been instrumental in highlighting the impact of activists who have faced numerous challenges, including police checks, threats, and attacks. Despite these obstacles, they have managed to create meeting points like "Lila Ufer" in Ravensburg and artistic projects by Petra Gall and the group Belladonna in Konstanz.
Theatres and artistic projects have been used as signs of self-assertion and resistance in Oberschwaben. One such example is the thought-provoking theater piece, "Not Sleeping Beauty is Perv, but the Castle Where It Lives", which used culture as a form of resistance.
The tour also discusses the handling of HIV and AIDS in the Ravensburg region, a critical aspect of queer history that is often overlooked.
The first tour of the Queer City Tour took place in 2023 and was sold out, leading to a spontaneous addition of a second date due to great interest. The second tour took place in 2024.
Small, brave groups in Oberschwaben have been organising theater pieces, demos, and readings since the 1970s. However, their efforts were not always met with acceptance. Newspapers like the Ravensburger Wochenblatt and the SÜDKURIER, for instance, refused to accept ads from queer groups.
One of the historical tensions the tour discusses is the attack on the bookstore "Wolke" in the 1980s after it publicly showed solidarity with homosexuals.
The tour also highlights places where gays, lesbians, or people who don't identify as either gender were active or persecuted. The Queer Network of Oberschwaben aims to make these stories of courage, unity, and creativity visible, demonstrating the resilience of the queer community in the face of adversity.
The city tour is more than just a historical retrospective; it's a testament to the power of self-expression and the enduring spirit of resistance. It serves as a reminder that the queer community has always been a vibrant and essential part of Oberschwaben's cultural landscape.
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