Transgender woman from Wismar talks about her life on the first Christopher Street Day

Wismar. “Of course I could pretend and go out wearing pants and a loose hoodie.” But that wouldn’t be me. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to go out as I am?”

Sam – the last name should not appear in the newspaper – is wearing a simple knee-length dress, a colorful scarf, comfortable sneakers and subtle red lipstick.

More than just the question of the “right” toilet

Sam is 36 years old, comes from the creative industry, lives in Wismar and comments on himself and society with a sharp, friendly sense of humor: “I still don’t know which public toilet I should use.” When I stand at the urinal with men, they look at me strangely. So I go to the women’s toilet with friends whenever possible.” Sam laughs: “Now I know why women always go to the toilet together.”

Sam’s birth certificate says “male” and a typical male name. For now. When the Self-Determination Act came into force on August 1st, Sam took all of his documents to the Wismar registry office to have the entries changed – to “Sam” and “diverse”. The changed documents arrived in a few weeks. The bureaucracy was comparatively simple compared to the personal process up to that point.

Man and woman and much in between

“I’m transfeminine,” says Sam. “I identify as a non-binary person, neither man nor woman, but it leans in a feminine direction.” It’s hard to describe it in a neutral way. For a long time, I’ve felt uncomfortable being seen as a man in society.”

His laughing “I’ve always been a colorful bird” conveys much more. Sam becomes more serious. “For years I thought I was depressed. I was always unhappy. But I wasn’t, I was just unhappy with the role that was forced upon me.” With the role as a man. Five or six years ago I realized: “I don’t have to live as a man just because I was born in this body.”

The first physical changes

In her closest circle of friends, Sam had the courage to wear women’s clothing. It felt good and right, says Sam, describing the way she looked in the mirror. In the last year, she realized that she would also like to change her body further. “I’m not just a man who likes to wear colorful clothes!” Her involvement in the TIM* (trans* and inter* people in Mecklenburg) association and in the self-help group have always helped.

She has been on hormone replacement therapy for a good 14 weeks. This means that after six months of psychotherapy, Sam is receiving female hormones and hormones that suppress the male ones. “First of all, a lot changed mentally, I became much more emotional and sensitive.” Sam laughs, with tears in the corner of his eye: “There is something to the female hormones. It is nice to finally be able to let them out!”

Threats and violence in Wismar

Now my body is slowly changing too. “I’m just happy! Now I stand up, look in the mirror and think: what a beautiful person.” When asked how other people in the city react to the 1.85 meter tall man in the dress, Sam shrugs his shoulders. “Physically, I still look quite masculine. That’s OK in my environment. But there are also areas in Wismar that I avoid in the evenings or at night.”

Sam has been insulted and threatened, and queer friends have been beaten up. “But that’s exactly why I’m sitting here, to strengthen acceptance. I never hurt anyone, even when I still considered myself a man. Some people don’t understand that you can just let people live the way they want.”

Part of society

That is why the first Wismar Christopher Street Day (CSD) on September 14 is so important: “When we take to the streets, everyone should see that there are queer people in his or her social environment, that we belong everywhere.”

Pride is an annual event held in many cities around the world to celebrate and support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people.

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Right-wing counter-demonstrations planned

For the first CSD in Wismar, a demonstration through the old town followed by a rally on the market square is planned. It will start at around 2:30 p.m. on the market square. Afterwards there will be a “queer coffee klatch” with coffee, cake and a discussion session in the Tikozigalpa (Dr.-Leber-Straße 38).

The organizers are already being confronted with calls for counter-demonstrations. “Right-wing extremist groups have announced that they will disrupt the event, which is intended to set an example for queer visibility, diversity and tolerance, and loudly spread their fascist ideology,” they say. Officially, no counter-demonstration has yet been registered with the district as the licensing authority.

OZ