Little big man

On September 17, the Berliners choose a new Senate and a new Mayor. The prospects for the ruling red-red coalition (social democrats and ex-communists) should look bleak; unemployment hovers around 20%, the city finances are in ruins, schools in Berlin are reputedly lousy and immigrant integration seems non-functioning. Still, the opposition has great problems attracting sympathies. Apart from Berlin’s traditional left-wing fancy, this probably has one major reason: Klaus Wowereit, the Mayor. Shortly before the last election in 2001, when the conservatives were about to leak the fact that he is gay, he stepped out, told everyone himself with his now famous “Ich bin schwul und das ist gut so” and was instantly transformed from boring left-wing technocrat to the cool Wowi that everybody wants to cuddle with. When the conservative mayor candidate Friedbert Pflüger did a miserable and nervous attempt at hanging out backstage at the last CSD (Pride) Parade, it was obvious that – probably for the first time anywhere in the world – NOT being gay will keep you from winning an election in a multi-million metropolis. And THAT is cool.