Once you get here, we probably do not have to tell you that Berlin is one of the most liberal cities you will visit.

Maybe because it has always been an immigrants place the atmosphere is open, and in today’s Berlin it is no real problem to lead an undisturbed ‘out’-life as you like it. The community is very cosmopolitan and Berlin is a safe haven, especially for young gays and lesbians from Eastern Europe and a chance for a coming out for young Turks.

Around underground station Nollendorfplatz at the U2 and around station Eberswalder Strasse you will find hundreds of bars, cafes, darkrooms and clubs, whatever you might look for. The scene is widely bi-lingual, and you'll have no problem getting along with English only.

There is a high number of political groups, clubs and institutions for all needs. Their biggest problem today is the unsatisfying financial situation the city is in, and therefore decreasing governmental support.

Although Berlin is as safe as it gets in the western world for gays and lesbians (the main cruising ground Tiergarten has lots of traffic any day of the year with hardly any incidents), there are still some AYOR-places, and you probably do not want to kiss your boy or girl at night in some suburbs with lots of social problems, like unemployment, or in some Turkish or Arab neighbourhood where the kids earned themselves a bad reputation over the last years.

But, as our mayor says: “I'm gay, and that is good”

These 2 magazines are having ad-sections, bi-lingual as well, for gays and lesbians the Siegessäule - and for gays only Blu.
They have maps to the scene and everything you need to party.

Nightlife info is good all over Berlin. Basically, wherever you go and you hear electronic music, especially house, the audience will be partly homosexual, even if this is not a particular label.

If you are looking for gay parties we recommend the Propaganda Night at the former Goya every second Saturday of the month, the WMF at Week-End on Sundays and the irregular Snax-Parties.

For more information, also check out the Berlin section on Patroc.com.

• Mann-O-Meter, very helpful staff, black board, café, AIDS info, this should be your first place for any kind of question, www.mann-o-meter.de

• Miles, if you are having political problems because of your status or if your cultural background makes queer life difficult, phone ++ 49 30 44 00 82 40

• Queer and Jewish? Call Yachad Berlin e. V., phone ++ 49 30 216 33 36
  

• Lesbenberatung for all questions, phone ++ 49 30 215 20 00

• Begine, very friendly women, extremely helpful, phone ++ 49 30 215 14 14

The above mentioned places can supply you with everything you might need, from legal help, if you are a foreigner and in love with a German, to drag-queen meetings, from gay biker clubs to Christian groups, from AIDS-help lines to S&M-clubs. Berlin is an open city, just ask!

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Some of the worlds most important publishers for gay and lesbian media are located in Berlin, most notably Bruno Gmünder, publishing the Spartacus Travel Guide.

• Bruno Gmünder Verlag, phone ++ 49 30 615 00 3081
• Galerie Janssen, phone ++ 49 30 881 1590
• Orlanda Frauenverlag, phone ++ 49 30 216 2960

Verlag Rosa Winkel with an excellent coverage of the Nazi-dictatorship and the horrible consequences this had for the gay and lesbian communities, phone ++ 49 30 8572 9295

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If you like you can play volleyball and chess, swim and shoot, mountain bike and sail, play soccer and handball in gay and lesbian sport-clubs, the most famous, and a good starting point is Vorspiel, www.vorspiel-berlin.de, another one Seitenwechsel for girls only www.seitenwechsel-berlin.de 

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