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submitted 6 days ago by Alaskaball@hexbear.net to c/main@hexbear.net

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[-] hellinkilla@hexbear.net 4 points 5 days ago

Berlin psychology professor Reiner Werner with writing a book titled Homosexuality: A Call to Knowledge and Tolerance, which appeared in 1987. Its initial run of 50,000 copies sold out in a matter of weeks.

I was also interested in that. As far as I can tell, the english-translated title only exists here, the book is called Homosexualität : Herausforderung an Wissen und Toleranz. I did not conduct extensive diving for it, but seems not to exist in any digitized form that I can detect.

However it is available for a few euros or pounds in paper copy. Which supports the idea that it was widely circulated. Hopefully, someone will take one of these and do a good scanning job to put it online, for the sake of history. A seller listing the table of contents is the best I found

Homosexualität TOC (translated by firefox)

Output: 1.Edition * Scope/Format: 187 pages : illustrations, graph. Darst. ; 21 cm * Notes: Literaturverz. Pages 179 - 184 * Year of publication: 1987 * Type of cover and original sale price: cartoned : M 25.00, M 18.00 (GDR-Pr.) * Subject: Psychology ; 14 Sociology, Society Table of Contents

Introduction 7
Fears of contact 14
Suffering in the force field between culture and nature 20
Consequences of lazy compromises 26
Coming out 29
Homosexuality between social constraints and self-development 37
SIGMUND FREUD or game of hide-and-seek with the libido 41 Theoretical preliminary remarks 41 Mechanisms of adaptation and its importance for homosexuality 52
On the thesis of seducibility 65
About Lot and Torment of Ageing 76
Gay partnerships and environment 83 Solid partnerships without a common residence 87 Fixed partnerships with common residence 89 change of connection partnerships 90 Habitual partnerships 92 Final observations 93
Problematic partner behavior of homosexuals 95 Partnership with unilateral-altruistic features 97 Partnership with infantile hypochondric traits 98 Partnership with demonstrative-hysteroid trains 100 Partnership with fearful-defensive features 103 Partnership with tuny-ascetic features 106
Homosexuality in the discord between partnership and adaptation 109
Terms, Facts, Classification of Homosexual Relationships 117
Female homosexuality and Lesbicity 128
Homosexual devotions 133 pedophilia, pederasty 138 fetishism 140 transvestism 141 voyeurism 143 Exhibitionism 144 Masochism and sadism 146
Transsexuality 148
Homosexuality in constraints of social needs 152 Preliminary remarks 152 Specific consultation centres 154 Creation of communication possibilities 156 Processing of housing applications 158 Community of goods instead of ? Marriage" 158 On the age of protection of young people 160 advertisements as a means of dating 161 professional suitability issues 162 journalism and homosexuality 164 Integration of homosexuals ? complex social concern 167
Postscript 169
Addendum: Viewpoints 172 Helga E. Hörz (Berlin) ? Ethical Positions on Homosexuality 172 Günther Dörner (Berlin) ? Hormone-dependent brain development and homosexuality 175
Bibliography 181
Catalogue 185 neat copy, cover and book block with small reading tracks, book block according to age browned, overall condition: good * Publisher: Berlin : Verlag Volk u. Health * Binding: paperback.

Judging by the above, he is very influenced by the post-WW2, nazi-influenced western ideas about LGBTQ people, rather than the pre-nazi Berlin progress.

Reiner Werner - Wikipedia (de -> en via firefox) gives a small clue regarding my questions in other comments:

In 1988, together with Marcus Schütz, he founded a “Magnus Hirschfeld Working Group” at the Club of Cultural Workers in Berlin, which had to cease its work under this name in 1991 under the pressure of the West Berlin namesake.

[-] Azarova@hexbear.net 2 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Judging by the above, he is very influenced by the post-WW2, nazi-influenced western ideas about LGBTQ people, rather than the pre-nazi Berlin progress.

I didn't include it as I felt I was already getting very wordy, but Huneke mentions that the book was widely criticized. It's moreso that the state sponsored a study at all that was the groundbreaking part. Quoting Huneke on page 209,

True, the book had numerous problems and was widely criticized. One Stasi report noted that, "among hetero- and homosexual individuals there is an overwhelmingly deprecating view" of the book. Not only had Werner devoted the vast majority of the text to gay men, as Ursula Sillge, among others, complained, he had also invented a nonsense term "lesbicity" ("Lesbizität") with which to discuss female homosexuality. Yet, for all its flaws, the book signalled a rupture with decades-old taboos.

And even though he was cooking up some wack ass ideas, it was the first domino in a serious of efforts towards public education.

Other authors pressured the regime to adopt school texts that addressed homosexuality more tolerantly. A doctor in Jena campaigned for the publication of a book that would help the parents of gay and lesbian children. Although authorities initially resisted his entreaties, by 1987 his manuscript was under consideration at a press.

A state sponsored text aimed at parents of queer children! In 1987!!! This is so wild to think about given the tantrum the right wing in the US is throwing over the mere implication that children could be queer 40 years later.

[-] edie@lemmy.encryptionin.space 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Hopefully, someone will take one of these and do a good scanning job to put it online, for the sake of history

It seems to be a softcover, so it should be pretty easy, just put it through a flatbed scanner. If you want to you can make a post at !book_requests@hexbear.net, I might even get to it some day.

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this post was submitted on 19 May 2026

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