We are now entering the closet, because before we delve into the heart of the story, we must first acknowledge that not only have the circumstances of queer life changed since the 1980s, but so has the language used to describe them: To correctly interpret and contextualize the accounts from 1980 today, in the year 2026, we must bear in mind that terms associated with queerness and homosexuality had different meanings and connotations back then than they do today. So in the cleaning room, we’ll start by clearing up some terminology:
Schwul
In the early 1970s, activists deliberately appropriated the term “schwul” to describe a political sexuality lived openly, in contrast to one that was shamefully concealed. Not only did homosexual men identify as “schwul,” but so did lesbian women who organized together in gay groups.
Tunte
The term “queer” referred to a man who deliberately behaved in an affected, extroverted, and “effeminate” manner and lived his orientation openly. In addition to their given names, many queers went by a “queer name” and used the pronouns “she/her” among themselves—regardless of their gender identity. Their casual attire was “der Fummel” (queer slang for outfit). In this way, they clearly distinguished themselves from those “closeted” homosexuals who continued to present themselves in a masculine-normative manner, thereby seeking to preserve their rightful place within the heart of bourgeois society (cf. Homonormativity).
Lesbisch
At the beginning of the 20th century, “lesbian” was used as a derogatory term for criminal women who were alleged to be homosexual; it was not until the 1970s that homosexual women appropriated the term as a positive self-designation. Until the late 1970s, however, homosexual women continued to refer to themselves as “gay” (inspired by the English term) and were also an active part of the gay rights movement. Within the women’s movement, the term “lesbian” eventually gained acceptance.
Trans
Many people who would describe themselves as “trans” today were already part of non-heteronormative scenes and movements in the 1970s and 1980s. They were visible—though often under different terms and in different political contexts. Within the gay movement, the political identity of same-sex orientation was the primary focus, while questions of social gender identity played a secondary role. Trans women often moved within gay contexts and referred to themselves—depending on their self-understanding and the discourse—as “Tunte,” “transvestites,” or “transsexuals.” These terms reflect not so much a lack of trans existence as different linguistic and political framings of gender. From today’s perspective, this may appear as invisibility, but it is more a matter of a shift in terms and categories: trans lives were present, but were named, organized, or politically articulated in a different way than is the case today.