Put-In-Transformation on Hans-Sachs-Straßenfest – Some brain needed?

Victory – the French go home. Picture: Conrad Breyer

Munich, 17th of August 2013 – He didn’t get much brain, maybe a smile from time to time, very occasionally somebody dared to give him his heart. Mr. P. resisted quite well to any transformation by Munich’s LGBT-community during Hans-Sachs-Straßenfest, Munich’s big Gay Street Festival.

Munich Kiev Queer, due to this Street Festival, which actually is the birthday party of Munich’s Gay Community Center Sub, opened, once again, an info desk to inform about its work. Plus: They installed a paper puppet looking like Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. In the morning, the Contact group had successfully demonstrated with the entire LGBT-community of Munich against the French; in the afternoon they went against Russia.

Three good, one bad. Mr. P waits for good wishes. Picture: Conrad Breyer

Indeed, the French movement La manif pour tous had called for a protest against the opening of marriage for homosexuals on Stachus square, but nobody came except  Munich’s lesbians, gays and trans. 150  to 60 – such were the conditions and Munich’s lesbians, gays and transgender shouted down the homo-enemies – among them Munich’s (sic!) rightist City Council Karl Richter. They gave up and – with police’s protection found their way back home by using the tram.

It wouldn’t be as simple with Vladimir Putin – everybody knew. Munich’s openly Lesbian artist Naomi Lawrence had designed the puppet out of paper. She already used it once during Munich Pride (CSD), sitting in a paper tank, behind her a coffin entitled “Human Rights”. People now were asked to throw five items with good wishes into Putin’s empty head – so for example a smiley against brutality, a brain for wisdom and a heart against hate. However, there is only one man who managed to hit five times. He won the first price: a pencil case made by Munich’s young fashion label Pulpo. Might it be that gays and lesbians, or transgender in fact are not able to throw? Or is Mr. P. full of negative energy?

Throwing brain into Mr. Putin’s head is not so easy. Picture: Conrad Breyer

Many hits went off their object, some bounced off Putin’s head or fell into the dirt. Sometimes our guests just misinterpreted the game’s rules and threw their “good wishes”  simply in Putin’s face. It is understandable, but not effective. Stephan Schoeneich from the LGBT-organization MLC even hit him so hard he fell to earth. A real revolution.

Old friends from KyivPride: Lydia Dietrich (l.), Munich City Councillor, attends the info desk of Munich Kiev Queer. Sibylle von Tiedemann is waiting for her. Picture: Conrad Breyer

After all, visitors of the Gay Street Festival were confronted to the Human Rights’ situation in Russia and had a lot of fun at the same time. “I find it really great what you are doing here,” said one player, “just because it’s so easy, a game, and this makes it unforgettable.” Working on this, the Contact Group, which actually fights for LGBT-rights in Ukraine, collected donations. About 210 Euros have been put in the can. Munich Kiev Queer will take this money to finance parts of its projects and actions. The contact group coordinates the work of Kyiv’s and Munich’s LGBT-community, it’s about an exchange of experience, scientific knowledge and cultural events, also about joint public relations. We say thanks to everybody donating!

Quite many popular politicians came to our stand in the afternoon – actually only members of the Green Party. Lydia Dietrich was there, the City Councillor who attended KyivPride in 2013 and 2012. Green Party member Beppo Brem introduced Margarete Bause, President of the Greens in the Parliament (“Margarete, you’re concerned about education, throw brain in Putin’s head”), and Sabine Nallinger, candidate for Mayor’s elections in spring 2014. Later came Claudia Stamm by her own, she’s the spokeswoman for equality and has always been for LGBT-rights. Only in July she had organized,  during Pride Week, a networking meeting in Maximilianeum, Bavaria’s Parliament. Our guests from Kiev sat in front row.

Full of joy and exhausted: Sibylle von Tiedemann and Conrad Breyer with their friend Mr. P. Picture: Erwin Harbeck

They all have tried to transform Putin, with modest success. Anyway Naomi Lawrence is sure: “If only we really believe in what we throw, the essence of Vladimir Putin is going to change,” she says and she laughs. We’ll see.

Mr. P. by the way, didn’t need any protection by the police despite strong opposition. He was divided into two, brought into the car and is now waiting in Naomi Lawrence’s atelier for his next job. It will be the Kiss-In To Russia with Love on 8^th of September in front of the Russian Consulate in Munich. His (ex) wife is looking forward to attending.