Trans*Sexworks is a peer-to-peer support structure & network which provides a broad range of support to trans*, non-binary & intersex sex workers. Our work encompasses face-to-face outreach work, redistribution of resources, lobbying and awareness-raising initiatives. Trans*Sexworks is active in the Bülowkiez (Schöneberg) where most outdoor sex work happens, with the aim of providing tangible support to sex workers living in precarious situations, as well as destigmatizing sex work within the communities where it has a long history of taking place
Democracy in the Center is the coordination and expertise office for the Partnerships for Democracy in the Mitte district. The initiative is passionately committed to democracy, participation, anti-discrimination, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion. It particularly focuses on supporting marginalized groups and driving structural change within administration and politics.
As part of the Partnerships for Democracy, Democracy in the Center coordinates the distribution of funding for projects in Moabit, Wedding, and the city center. It offers educational programs, creates spaces for reflection and dialogue, and fosters networking among local actors. Notably, the Red Light Walks project, supported by Democracy in the Center, is a great example of strengthening political education and societal participation. A heartfelt thank you for the valuable support of this project!
The Kiez Zentrum Villa Lützow is a vibrant socio-cultural center located in Berlin’s Tiergarten district. It hosts 12 different organizations and projects under one roof, offering a wide range of programs for education, interaction, and community support. Programs include a children's center, school-related youth services, KIDZ e.V., and community spaces like the "wachsenlassen" garden and the Intercultural Garden City. Additionally, it hosts a multigenerational house, Queerformat, GLADT e.V., and the Villa Lützow Family Center, offering open spaces for gathering and various services. Visitors can access free activities ranging from language courses to gardening, fostering an inclusive and supportive neighborhood atmosphere.
Born as a new chapter of the former Berlin Strippers Collective, Slut Riot is a group of Berlin-based sex workers who create performance art and shows. The mission we share is to take control over our own narratives and to find creative outlets to express our voices. The nature of our events is intrinsically political, aiming at destigmatising our professions through arts and performances.
Slut Riot wants to give sex workers a platform to speak, instead of being spoken about.
WE ARE PIONEERS IN OUR FIELD
Existing as a sex worker comes with many challenges, such as: laws impacting us negatively, exploitative working conditions, and stigma tainting our everyday lives. Our performances are self-organised and sex-worker lead, and they allow us to find elements of joy in our world and, on top of that, to establish our own rules in an industry where we don’t have much space to decide over our working conditions.
AND THIS IS OUR MISSION:
Creating opportunities for our community;
Establishing our own working conditions;
Amplifying our voices to fight stigma.
The Gay Museum was founded in 1985 to give a home to the history and culture of gay men and their emancipation movement, their history(s) devalued and excluded by the museums and archives of mainstream society, artistic works, life testimonies and movement documents. Since then, the house has evolved: Today, SMU is the most important international center of excellence for the research, preservation and presentation of the culture and history of queer people and sexual and gender diversity, as well as a sought-after cooperation partner for museums and universities, the institutions of cultural funding, artists* and activists from all over the world.
Red Light Walks Berlin is a project of sex workers who are not only committed to their respective communities,
but have also taken on an educational mission for mainstream society. Together Collective Trans*SexWorks and Slut Riot
the Red Light Walks Berlin offer residents, Berliners and visitors valuable
insights into the history and character of Schöneberg and Mitte, which is shaped by sex workers, our work, life and protests.
Since September 2022 Trans*Sexworks, organizes a series of red light walks in Schöneberg. This district has been home to sex workers since 1885 -long before it became the LGBTQI+ hotspot it is known as today. We would like to invite - neighbors, friends, allies, and others - to engage with the rich history of Berlin's unofficial red light districts.
This tour is an insightful exercise in seeing how the past affects the precarious situation in which sex workers* live and work in this neighborhood today.
The trade has been long established here, and despite harmful laws and the loss of safe work spaces due to years of Gentrification. Our goal is to make Schöneberg safe for ALL of its residents, as well as healthy and culturally rich.... And we would love your support.
The tour will start at Villa Lützow Berlin.
We will explore the interconnected stories of art, culture and history of the
LGBTQI+ and sex work communities, from 1885 to today.
The next tours are planned on the following dates. In November 2024 there will be a tour each on the 16th& 23th of November. In December there will be a Red Light Walks Berlin tour each on the 1st, 14th & 15th.
Please contact redlightwalks@gmail.com for questions and inquiries.