Berlin opens world's first lesbian-only cemetery

On Sunday, Germany is unveiling a lesbian-only plot in the Lutheran Georgen Parochial Cemetery, which was built in 1814. The plot will include room for the burial of up to 80 women.

The Safia Association, a women's group whose members are primarily elderly lesbians, is the impetus behind the movement. Usah Zachau, a spokeswoman for the group, told The Associated Press that the plot would serve as a place "where life and death connect, distinctive forms of cemetery culture can develop and where the lesbian community can live together in the afterlife." The cemetery gave Safia use of the plot for up to 30 years in return for upkeep and landscaping.

"We are the first real generation of emancipated, feminist, open lesbians, and we need somewhere to be buried," Dr. Astrid Osterland, a member of Safia, told German newspaper The Local. "Like everyone else, I want to lie with the people I've fought with," she added.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Dr. Osterland also noted that, technically, there is nothing preventing men or heterosexual women from choosing plots in the lesbian section.