"We are already here"

On 5 February 2021, the Süddeutsche Zeitung came with a magazine that set the German film and theatre world in motion. Its cover read "Wir sind schon da" (We are already here). Behind it were one hundred and eighty-five actors presenting themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, non-binary or trans. The story had already appeared online the evening before.

For some, this was nothing new. Ulrike Folkerts and Maren Kroymann have lived openly for years. For many others, it was a coming out in front of a large audience, for example for Mark Waschke, known from the Netflix series "Dark", or for Karin Hanczewski from the Dresden "Tatort". Together they founded the initiative #actout and published a manifesto.

In it they describe an experience many shared. Agencies, casting people, producers and directors had advised them to keep their orientation or identity to themselves. Otherwise they would no longer get heterosexual roles. The manifesto counters: "We don't have to be what we play." That, after all, is exactly what their profession is.

The group also criticised the fact that heterosexual white men set the tone in front of and behind the camera. The actor Lamin Leroy Gibba asked where the Black and queer characters were who stand at the centre of their own stories.

Why as a group? Hanczewski said it only became clear in their conversations together that this was the only way to change anything. The reactions were overwhelmingly positive, and the German actors' association backed the initiative a few days later. There was mockery nonetheless, including from Dieter Hallervorden.

Many were reminded of the 1971 "Stern" cover on which women publicly declared that they had had abortions. Whether the industry has really changed since then is still debated today. But one thing can no longer be claimed since that Friday in February: that there are hardly any queer actors.