I've got the lesbian fever, and Berlin is the cure

BERLIN My intention was to write about queer/lesbian places and people in Berlin. I still have a week to go so perhaps I will, but so far Berlin has been about coming to a city with so many options my head is spinning. It’s about coming from a lesbian/queer desert to the best waters. How can I chill, relax and find my way in an explosive wild magic playground? 

I have tried to leave twice and failed. Basically, I want to give my body the experience of being part of a giant queer room. All of a sudden I have full access to a lesbian/queer social life. I don’t even need to plan it. Spontaneously, I can decide if I want to go to queer bookshops, cafés, bars and clubs. That does something to my system. It heals me. It inspires me. It leaves me packed with hope. At the same time, it makes my queer life at home very visible - or should I say my lack of queer life. Happiness and grief collide within me.

And just like that you see yourself in a post from one of Berlin's most popular queer spots.

OYA Kollektiv CaféKneipe
is a queer feminist bar
at Mariannenstr.6, Berlin.

It's like my whole lesbian life is shown on a screen. It's painful and beautiful to watch. I had no idea that my body had so much hidden lesbian/queer language in it. That it contained so much unexpressed raw sexual feelings. Now I am leaking, thank God for that! 

I really get why dating apps only solve half the problem, why we need many different kinds of lesbian/queer spaces and why we must continue to create and organize our spaces. It’s oxygen! As a modern 2024 lesbian, I am not supposed to bring my sadness to the table cause I have gained so much ”normality” from the heteronormative society. But I have to bring my sadness to the table because in it lies the seeds to my future joy. We can have everything we want, but we have to create it and grab it ourselves. That is what I have learnt so far from hanging out with Berlin.