QueerHistoryMonth | Trockne niemals Tränen ohne Handschuhe: AIDS in den 1980ern | Lesung und Gespräch

In the organizer's words:

QUEERHISTORYMONTH

QueerHistoryMonth will take place in Hamburg from May 1 to 31, 2026(www.queerhistoryhamburg.de). Various events as part of the festival will bring the history(ies) of the queer community in Hamburg to life. Everyone is welcome - kings, queers, queens, allies, friends, families (of choice) and everyone in between and beyond!

The event

The AIDS crisis of the 1980s - remembering, telling, understanding. Gardell's documentary novel tells of love, friendship, fear and solidarity at a time when AIDS radically changed the lives of many gay men. The story is set in Stockholm in the late 1980s and early 1990s - and is also representative of a generation whose experiences continue to have an impact today.

Dr. Gottfried Lorenz presents the internationally acclaimed documentary novel Never Dry Tears Without Gloves by Swedish author Jonas Gardell - a moving literary and documentary testimony about the time of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Sweden in the 1980s.

The documentary novel tells - based on research, contemporary testimonies and real experiences - the story of a group of young gay men in Stockholm in the 1980s, a time when the emerging AIDS epidemic radically changed their lives. At the center are love, friendship, hope and the search for belonging, but also fear, social exclusion and the loss of many companions.

With great emotional power and a clear documentary view, the author describes how the disease shook an entire generation and at the same time gave rise to new forms of solidarity within the community. The work thus closely links personal fates with the historical reality of the time and is considered one of the most impressive literary testimonies about the AIDS crisis.

Dr. Goffried Lorenz translated the work from Swedish into German; the German translation was only published this year (2026). For this edition, he has also made extensive additions to the text: with explanatory notes, historical classifications and his own essays and urban explorations that place the history of the AIDS crisis and queer life in a wider social context.

In the reading, Lorenz will present selected passages, provide insights into the creation of the German edition and engage in a discussion with the audience.

Dr. Gottfried Lorenz is one of the most important chroniclers of Hamburg's queer history. For decades, he has been researching and documenting the realities of life for queer people in the city - from persecution during the Nazi era to the post-war decades and the modern LGBTQIA+ movement. His work has made a significant contribution to making repressed chapters of the city's history visible and raising historical awareness of queer life stories.

The reading will take place as part of the Rainbow Age project of Aidshilfe Hamburg and will begin with an evening meal together under the rainbow. The project is aimed in particular at older LGBTQIA+ people and creates spaces for encounters, exchange and mutual support in old age.

The evening combines literature, contemporary history and personal insights - and invites people to talk about remembrance, solidarity and the significance of the AIDS crisis for the queer community.

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Date: May 21, 2025

Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Procedure: From 5:30 pm dinner together. The reading starts at approx. 18:00.

Venue: Nachbarschaftsheim St. Pauli, Silbersackstraße 14, 20359 Hamburg

The Nachbarschaftsheim is barrier-free and is located in the immediate vicinity of the Reeperbahn S-Bahn station and bus route 16. We will be happy to organize an escort from the S-Bahn station to the event on request.

Organized by: Aidshilfe Hamburg e.V.

Directed by: Christian Giebel (Älterwerden unterm Regenbogen)

Participation is free of charge. Donations for the evening meal are welcome, but are not a prerequisite for participation.

Registration is not required.

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Information

Photos and video recordings can be made as part of the public relations work for QueerHistoryMonth.

QueerHistoryMonth is only responsible for marketing and coordination and is not the organizer of the individual events.

All organizational and content-related tasks, including security, permits and insurance, are the sole responsibility of the respective organizers (responsible organization).

The QHM is not liable for the content, organization or damages that occur during the events. The organizers shall indemnify the QHM against all third-party claims, including those for injury, property damage or loss.