\input zine.sty \hfuzz1pt \def\by#1{\hfill{\bf--#1}} {\hl Home of the Drag Queen's Trout Farm: an Interview with ¨ Queer Squatters in Berlin} by Joey Cain \vskip\parskip \begindoublecolumns {\it [Joey Cain is a friend from here in SF, taking a year off¨ and traveling around the world. Right now he's in Europe (Spain,¨ Germany, England, Poland, Czechoslovakia\dots) and when in¨ Germany in November, ran into these queer squatters in East¨ Berlin, and lucky for us, wrote it up as an article/interview. I¨ miss you too Joey! If you want to write to the squatters interviewed here, their¨ address is: Tutentowe Farellenhof / Mainzerstr. 4 / 1034 Berlin,¨ Friedrichen / GERMANY. -- tj]} \bigskip East Berlin's Frankenfurter Strasse is a wide boulevard lined¨ with kitch buildings from the Stalinist Era. It's architecture¨ was at the service of the state: a bureaucratic grafting of¨ ruined Renaissance on to bad Bauhaus, whimsical in it's own way,¨ but essentially cold, monumental, lifeless. A street designed for¨ tanks and cars to rumble down and maybe ceremonial parades, but¨ one where you begin to feel fatigued after walking the length of¨ a block. Running off from this boulevard, by the Samariterstrasse¨ U Bahan stop, is a street of very different desires and values.¨ It's name is Mainzerstrasse, a small street that is home to the¨ occupiers of 10 squatted buildings and their neighbors. 'hippie van' photo \picture{2.75in} The first feeling that hits you on turning on to Mainzerstrasse¨ is the exhilaration of a carnival. Lining what seems to be the¨ whole right hand side are buildings whose upper stories are¨ draped with banners and flags. The street level is a patchwork of¨ colors, murals and bright spray painted graffiti. Facades of the¨ buildings speak, as most of the buildings in East Berlin do, of¨ their last 50 years of history. Crumbling and potmarked, they¨ exude a closeness and friendly funkiness that is a welcomed¨ relief from the compulsive cleanness and gentrification of West¨ Berlin. In contrast to Frankenfurter Strasse, people are actually¨ walking, hanging-out, talking and living on this street. The¨ storefronts, having long ago forgotten the businesses that¨ abandoned them, are sporadically occupied by cafes, bars and info¨ shops. Clustered in front of them on the sidewalk and spilling¨ into the street are chairs, benches and tables; some are empty,¨ others occupied by groups of people talking or just sitting¨ quietly. The squats and squatters reflect a diverse range of¨ interests and desires. They are a mixture of anti-imperialists,¨ anarchists, women, lesbians, men, queers, gays, straights, bis,¨ revolutionaries, sensualists, freedom seekers and many others.¨ What drew me here was the desire to meet with the folks at¨ Tutentower Forellenhoh Squat, the gay men's squat. Mainzenstrasse manifests an East Berlin that's experiencing an¨ extraordinary period in history, one usually only encountered in¨ disasters, utopian fiction or libertarian revolutions. The¨ authoritarian state has collectively jumped out of the window,¨ taking along with it much, if not all, of the physical and¨ psychological apparatus of control. In the spaces of freedom¨ opened by it's absence, some people have begun to build a new¨ society based on equality and imagination. It's a situation that¨ has enabled the squatting of over 150 buildings in various parts¨ of East Berlin with little or no police interference. There is¨ something of the ``festival of the oppressed'' feeling on the¨ streets where the squats are. Squatters are working hard to¨ rebuild and reinhabit abandoned and trashed out buildings, while¨ at the same time creating community spaces for partying,¨ socializing and education. There is also a frightening and ugly element growing in East¨ Berlin. Along side the banners and flags on Mainzerstrasse are¨ windows and doors fitted with all forms of shutters and metal¨ grate coverings. The reason, violent attacks by Neo-Nazis. It's¨ worst example so far is one night when 300 Nazis descended en¨ mass to Mainzerstrasse armed with molotov cocktails,¨ sledgehammers and giant crowbars. They were out to smash the¨ squats and kill a few squatters if possible. Such is the¨ situation in East Berlin now that the police actually came and¨ defended the squats from their attacks. (Hardly a week goes by in¨ East Germany that the racist Nazis don't attack and kill some one¨ of ``Non-German'' origin ie: Romanian, Vietnamese, etc.) One day¨ I and an anarchist friend from East Berlin were walking to the¨ squats when we saw a group of eight Nazi skin heads, 2 blocks¨ ahead of us, walking in our direction. Spying a bus coming in the¨ opposite direction, my friend said in a calm panic, ``We take¨ this bus''. A hideous deja vu of 1930's Berlin is beginning to¨ haunt the streets. While those who use the opening of freedom to¨ build their vision of a just society, so to do the enemies of¨ that vision use the same opening to fight it. However, in some¨ way the Nazis may be the least of the squats problems. When the¨ reunification of Germany happens (by the time you read this an¨ accomplished fact) the police state of West Germany will have¨ stepped into the power vacuum. West Berlin's police force will be¨ moving in with their expertise and equipment to do battle with¨ the squats, just as they have done in West Berlin. My introduction to the folks at Tutentower Forellenhof (roughly¨ translated means, ``House of the Drag Queen's Trout Farm'') Squat¨ began in the bar they collectively run. A small, simple sign¨ stating ``Gay Bar'' hangs over what looks to be a boarded up¨ storefront. In it's past life it was the location of a hair¨ dressing salon, the ghost of which still lingers in the etched¨ pane of glass doors advertising it as such. Inside, the smallish¨ space is surrounded by mottled and nearly bare walls whose¨ textures and colors reflect it's years of abandonment and decay.¨ A cinder block bar has been built at one side of the room and¨ some chairs, a couch and a few tables are scattered around. The¨ lighting was subdued but not to the point where you couldn't see¨ across the room. Behind the bar a piece of wall art made up of an¨ arrangement of rubber trout, that has something to do, as does¨ name of the Squat, with a camp German T.V. (as in television)¨ show from a few years back. To tell you the truth I never quite¨ figured it out to the satisfaction of my rational mind but my¨ queer soul immediately intuited it's meaning and humor. The¨ music, a mixture I'd never heard before even in the hippest¨ underground queer scenes in San Francisco, ranged from hardcore¨ and acid house to Edith Piaf and opera. One evening a divine¨ Tutentower queen named V. introduced me to the ``music'' of Ellen¨ Foster Jenkins, an American opera ``singer'' of the first half of¨ the 20th century. It seems she wanted to be a great opera diva.¨ Having absolutely no voice but tons of inherited wealth, she¨ produced her own screeching and off key recordings of opera¨ arias. The beers and her voice had me falling off my stool in¨ hysteria screaming ``No no no no no\dots !!!''. In addition to¨ the fabulous music, cheap beer and champagne, an amiable mixture¨ of dykes, fags, queers and non-gay identified women and men were¨ there hanging out together. 'tutentower' photo \picture{2.75in} Tutentower Forellenhof Squat itself occupies five stories of an¨ abandoned building which the queens are very hard at work and¨ play to reclaim and make their home. A bookstore is being built¨ on the ground floor. There is a beautiful backyard courtyard¨ festooned with spray paint graffiti and old bath tubs in which¨ the queens share their baths and beauty. One room serves as the¨ Drag Room. They were hesitant to show it to me because of it's¨ trashy appearance until I assured them that I'd never seen a Drag¨ Room that wasn't trashy. Hanging out with the queers from Tutentower Forellenhof Squat¨ fired a deep spark of recognition and affection in me that I feel¨ with my comrades and lovers in the Radical Faeries back in the¨ USA. There was the same wonderful sense of play and humor while¨ holding a deep, sometimes almost unspoken, commitment to fight¨ against the haggard and oppressive sleep walk exploitation of¨ life. They held that beautiful vision of gay liberation that is¨ not trapped in the tunnel of single issue ``gay rights'' but ties¨ true queer liberation in with the liberation of all exploited¨ people. The following interview took place in mid-July, pre-reunification, in the large and sunny room that is the¨ combination communal kitchen and living room of the squat. About¨ 10 people who were awake at that early hour of 2 p.m. gathered¨ for it, though Bastian, understanding and speaking English the¨ best, did most of the speaking. Many of the queens did not want¨ their photograph taken for fear that the Nazis may get ahold of¨ it and be able to pick them out on the street when alone.¨ Coincidently Pedro, a queen and Homocore fan from Spain, was also¨ there visiting. Lucky for me because he had a copy of Homocore,¨ something I had forgotten to bring, to show them. \bar {\bf Joey:} This squat has been here since May 1980? {\bf Tutentowerite:} Yes. Since the second of May. {\bf J:} How did it start? {\bf T:} It was just an idea in April. Someone said very late in¨ the night at the bar (Club Anal), ``Why don't we squat a¨ house?''. It wasn't very serious but we thought ``Well it's¨ boring so why don't we squat a house''. There were some others¨ and then we got a group of ten who knew each other. {\bf J:} From Club Anal? {\bf T:} From the bar, from political action squatting and all¨ that. It was not possible to squat in West Berlin because you get¨ evicted within 24 hours. We knew that there was the beginning of¨ the squatters movement here in East Berlin. We met three times,¨ just talking a little bit and looking for houses. Then we read¨ something in a left-wing magazine that on this street there were¨ 10 houses which are rotting and empty. There was a meeting,¨ several groups came together, and we said ``Well lets take this¨ house, you take that house''. The idea that this would be¨ squatting 10 houses at once for us was important. We felt that it¨ was not possible for us as a gay group to squat a house without¨ other neighborhood squats because of the threat of the fascist¨ groups and all that. So we said, ``OK this is a good idea. 10¨ houses are quite secure for us.'' {\bf J:} So the whole street has only been squatted since May? {\bf T:} Yes. We were the first house. On the first of May there¨ was the yearly demonstration in Krausberg and afterward we¨ decided that we would go in here. It took 1 to 3 weeks and all¨ the houses were squatted. In number 3 is a woman's and lesbian¨ house. The other groups in the other houses are mixed. The whole¨ street is a mixture of people from East and West Berlin and it is¨ getting more international. {\bf J:} Are most of the people in this squat from West Berlin? {\bf T:} We are 26, 27, 28 people, I'm not quite sure. About 6¨ are from East Berlin. {\bf J:} Do you have good relations with the lesbian house hold? {\bf T:} Yes. {\bf J:} So they are not separatist? {\bf T:} Some are but we have good relations with them. {\bf J:} Do people in the squat identify themselves politically¨ as anarchists or autonomen, etc? {\bf T:} Oh, we've got Catholics, Protestants, Vegetarians,¨ Alcoholics, Drag Queens, Machos, everything. Anti-imperialists,¨ Autonomen, Anarchists, Reformists. {\bf J:} So there's no one dominating political ideology? {\bf T:} Left-wing radical (laughter) {\bf J:} How does the house-hold live? Is it a collective? Do you¨ make decisions through consensus or voting or what. \picture{2.75in} {\bf T:} It is a kind of small community. We do every thing¨ collective, our household, our kitchen, our cooking. We share the¨ money so everybody has to put in 15 marks a week to buy food and¨ drinks. We run the bar collectively. We try to have a meeting¨ once a week to come to important decisions, not by voting or¨ elections but by consensus, discussing it. It normally takes 3 or¨ more hours with a lot of scenes. Plus it's not only things¨ concerning the house but also concerning the street, the¨ movement. {\bf J:} Do you have interactions with the larger gay community¨ in East and West Berlin? {\bf T:} Yes, we have struggles (laughter). The idea of our¨ project was, on the one hand, to be in the gay community and on¨ the other to be in the squatter community. But now we've got more¨ trouble with the gay community than with the squatter community. {\bf J:} What sort of troubles? {\bf T:} Well first of all there is a really large gay community¨ in West Berlin. East Berlin gays are just beginning to act, to do¨ something and so this is a difference. But troubles, for example,¨ at the Cristopher Street Day this year everybody was expecting¨ that the ``Tutenhaus'' would gather and say something. Everybody¨ in West Berlin knows that this project exists. We've had some¨ parties here. ``Hot Peaches'' from New York performed here and¨ many people cam and we had much fun and partied. We decided on¨ Cristopher Street Day, because it becomes more and more a¨ carnival, a carnival and no political messages, we decided to¨ read a declaration about political prisoners in East and West¨ Germany. We entered the stage and one of us read it and there¨ were great protests and they tried to throw us from the stage. {\bf J:} The organizers? {\bf T:} Not only the organizers but almost everybody who was¨ demonstrating against us because they don't want to listen to¨ such things. {\bf T:} We said that this is a minority and they need not only¨ gay things but other minorities. But they don't want to listen to¨ it and it was a real scandal to throw us off the stage. {\bf J:} What problems have you had with the Nazis? I know about¨ them attacking the squats here in Berlin. Have they specifically¨ targeted this squat? {\bf T:} They didn't know that this was a homosexual squat. They¨ came because we are left-wing. {\bf Tutentowerite \#2:} They haven't attacked our squat for¨ being gay but there were attacks on gay bars here in East Berlin¨ on the 20th of April, Hitler's birthday. They attacked a gay bar¨ in Alexanderplatz. {\bf J:} In the larger gay community is there a consciousness¨ about the growing Nazi threat? {\bf T:} There's a growing conscious about it. We work with some¨ people from West Berlin to make a tactical force so if gays are¨ attacked in parks or in toilets they can dial it's number if they¨ do not want to call the police because normally the police don't¨ take it seriously. There is beginning to be a growing conscious¨ in the gay community to defend it self because the attacks on¨ people in the parks at night grows and becomes larger. You should know that the Nazis are split over the gay question.¨ One of their leaders, Michal Kuning, one or two years ago it came¨ out that he is gay. It was a little scandal. {\bf J:} I bet! They've always had this...problem. {\bf T:} He said that he is gay.. homosexual, and that is the¨ best way for men when they are... {\bf T\#2:} He had his own series about homosexuality, about¨ fascism and homosexuality, and he said that it is better for the¨ ``comrades'' to get rid of their sexual energy to other comrades¨ than with a German woman. {\bf J:} So does he have many supporters? {\bf T:} Well the funny thing is that the Nazi squat 2 kms from¨ here is influenced by the Michal Kuning way and it was published¨ in a paper that they are split about the question of¨ homosexuality. {\bf J:} I've heard that the Nazis have 3 squats? {\bf T:} It's really only one squat. It's not far away from here¨ and it is where they founded a new Nazi party and it is a¨ coordination center for all Nazi terror activities here in¨ Berlin. The officials have said they have to leave the building¨ but they have not thrown them out. {\bf J:} Are the people involved in the Nazi squat movement and¨ on the street connected with the older Nazis. {\bf T:} Yes. There is a kind of international Nazi network.¨ Nazis from West Germany, Austria and all over the world come to¨ the German Democratic Republic because there is a lot of racial¨ prejudice here and a lot of young people who are open to Nazi¨ theories and all that. The police have said that there are about¨ in Berlin 5,000 active militant Nazis. Football hooligans,¨ skinheads etc. and spread over the GDR they said there were about¨ 30,000 Nazis now. It's ridiculous. It's the clamor of¨ reunification that makes the Nazis grow now. {\bf J:} What's been going on in this or larger gay community in¨ Berlin around AIDS. {\bf T:} In the first years we were shocked but you don't really¨ hear anything about it now or not that much. In Germany it has¨ not radicalized people. Some groups tried to copy ACT-UP¨ activities but I think in the USA the ACT-UP groups are more¨ radical than in Germany. Last year the ACT-UP group tried to¨ squat a house so people who are sick with AIDS can have a place¨ to live because a lot of people with AIDS can not work any longer¨ and have no money so they need houses. They tried to squat a¨ house but it was really ridiculous because they told the police¨ before that they were going to squat it and they just squatted it¨ for one hour. It was in the news paper the day before. {\bf J:} So they were just doing this for publicity? {\bf T:} Yes, for publicity. {\bf J:} Do you have much contact with or knowledge of the¨ radical gay community in the USA? The Radical Faeries or Homocore¨ stuff. {\bf T:} A little bit but not that much. We have more connections¨ with Netherlands, we know some gay squats there. There has been a kind of development in the last two or three¨ years. There was a situation where on the one hand there was the¨ political community, left-wing, political activists and on the¨ other hand the gay community and there was no coming together.¨ And so there was a schizophrenic situation that lots of gays are¨ working in the revolutionary groups and don't know each other.¨ Then two or three years ago there were the first meetings where¨ people come together. This house is in a way a result of this. {\bf J:} So there are about 27 people living here? {\bf T:} Yes. {\bf J:} And you've done much redecorating in the place? {\bf T:} Oh yes. We had to because it really was a mess when we¨ took it. Walls were broken down, no electricity or water, there¨ was no cellar so we had to rebuild and put in toilets and get rid¨ of the rubbish in the house. {\bf J:} I noticed in your bar last night that it was really¨ mixed. There were a lot of woman there as well as men. Do people¨ from the other squats come into the bar and hang out. {\bf T:} Yea, we are not very separatist. Most of the time it's¨ half and half. {\bf J:} So their not uptight about it. {\bf T:} No. They love us. {\bf J:} There are not so many squats left in West Germany? {\bf T:} No. There are still some even in West Berlin. 4 or 5 in¨ West Berlin. There is a very funny thing. In Krausberg there was¨ a squat, Wassertoth-latz, and it was really a project, million of¨ DM to rebuild it and now it has been resquatted. Here in East¨ Berlin we are about 100 houses. This part of the city is called¨ Friedricksein. There are about 40 squats now Mainzerstrasser,¨ Kreutserstrasse, Richardstrasse, they are all in about a one km¨ circle. And then in the Pranzlaurerberg there are about 40 or 50¨ houses and Stadtmitte there are about 30 houses and we have to¨ work together with all the houses. There is \picture{2.75in} for example a weekly meeting of all the squats in East Berlin. We¨ try to make negotiations with all the houses because the¨ government tries to get in contact with single houses to make¨ contracts, contracts for the building. So we put against it a¨ group for negotiations a collective involving 80 houses to¨ negotiate with the government so that they can't divide it. It is¨ really hard work because there are lots of squatters in East¨ Berlin who have not had any experience with negotiating with the¨ government. So if there is an offer for a contract they will¨ write their name on it and it's bullshit because they get a¨ contract for two years and they build up the house and then they¨ will be thrown out. Anyways the movement is quite young. The¨ first squats were at Schoenhauser Allee in November of 1989 and¨ then it really begins in April and May of 1990. {\bf J:} Are there many people who were involved in the older¨ squatting movement of the early 80's involved now or is there any¨ communications with these people. {\bf T:} I think there are some personal connections and people¨ know a lot of what happened to the old squatting movement in 1981¨ so that we try to not the same faults and to tell the new¨ squatter what can happen. {\bf J:} Like if they all go on vacation in the summer the police¨ will move in. {\bf T:} Yes. They won't actually come this summer. I think it¨ will take the elections. Now it seems to be that the East German¨ police are not going to evict the houses. But it can happen¨ because next week the West German police will be able to act in¨ East Berlin so probably the situation will change. We still have¨ quite good relations with the East German police, they are not¨ that aggressive as in West Germany. Normally they come and inform¨ us about Nazi activities. For example the Mayor of Friedrichshain¨ has really tried to get them out because they bring terror and¨ violence to the neighbors. But the police have not wanted to¨ throw them out. So at the moment it is still ok but we think it¨ will change very soon. {\bf J:} The West German police are going to take over the East¨ German police? {\bf T:} Everything is going to be taken over. The state is¨ dying. There is kind of a vacuum. The old state is dying and the¨ new {\it[?].} . It made possible the squatting movement. There is¨ no real power of the state here and so there are many good¨ things. But not only good things the growing Nazis up of the Nazi¨ movement is also a result of it. It is not only positive. One other thing is that there about 65,000 flats in East Berlin¨ which are free. And there is absolutely no money at the moment to¨ rebuild it. The Mayor of Friedrikheim got 5,000,000 marks for 120¨ houses and you can rebuild a roof for 2,000,000 for example. {\bf J:} So there are not a lot of people from the west coming in¨ and buying up these houses. {\bf T:} Not yet. Everybody was expecting it but it didn't¨ happen. {\bf T\#2:} I think that they are afraid of us. {\bf J:} And it is also a politically unstable situation. {\bf T:} It is because the unemployment rate will be about one¨ and a half million at the end of the year cause all the factories¨ will all be closed that are not economical anymore. There are a¨ lot of houses here where there are still owners and which were¨ run by the state, public property run by the state. And now it is¨ unclear situation because the owners can get their rights back¨ till January 31 of 1991 and if they don't do it these houses will¨ go to a sort of holding company. \enddoublecolumns \bar \bye