International Stele "Always Remember" (2010)

(this text can also be heard in the audio clip)

The monument by sculptor Bernhard Keller was unveiled on World Aids Day 2010. Roger Kilian, then chairman of berlinpositiv, emphasized the function of the stele as a memorial against social exclusion: “HIV can infect anyone, regardless of orientation or origin.” The memorial has been maintained by the Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since 2016.

A metal red ribbon is attached to the black granite stele – the global symbol of solidarity with people infected with HIV. It is framed by the inscription “Against Forgetting” in 22 languages, a reference to the global impact of HIV/Aids and hepatitis C. A neighboring companion stone quotes Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow” and Herbert Grönemeyer’s “When I close my eyes, I see you”.

When the US health authority CDC first reported five homosexual men with rare infections on June 5, 1981, no one had any idea of the global implications. In Germany, the first cases were diagnosed in 1982, with the majority of those affected being gay men and intravenous drug users. In 1983, “Deutsche Aidshilfe” / “German Aids help” was founded, combining medical aid, safer sex education and anti-discrimination work.

The 1980s and early 1990s were characterized by massive stigmatization; HIV-infected people were considered “socially harmful”. In 1987, CSU politician and Bavarian State Secretary of the Interior Peter Gauweiler pushed through a catalog of measures for Bavaria, which included the following points: compulsory tests for “suspects of infection”, in particular prostitutes, drug addicts and homosexuals; police summons for people who refused an HIV test; lifting of medical confidentiality for “non-compliant” infected persons; possibility of “segregation” of infected persons who did not abstain from sexual contact, following a court order. These measures remained in force until 2001.

Gauweiler also enforced stricter rules for homosexual institutions, which led to the closure of bars and strict requirements for saunas. In 2012, he defended his actions, saying, “The drumbeat at the time was necessary and right, we had to take action against the trivialization of the disease.”

CDU Federal Health Minister Rita Süßmuth took the opposite approach from 1986 onwards. In 1987, she published the book “Aids: Wege aus der Angst” (Aids: Ways out of Fear) and resolutely opposed marginalization and included the most affected groups as partners in prevention in her actions as Minister. In doing so, she laid the foundations for HIV prevention in Germany, which is still successful today. Despite considerable resistance, she succeeded in her course. In recognition of her work, she has been honorary chairwoman of Deutsche Aidshilfe since 2006.

Until the mid-1990s, an HIV diagnosis was considered a death sentence. A whole generation of gay men lost most of their circle of friends and wondered why they themselves were among the survivors. Today, with early diagnosis and treatment, HIV-positive people can have an almost normal life expectancy.

Protection against HIV is possible through safer sex, and regular use of so-called “PrEP” (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can also protect against infection. The costs have been covered by health insurance companies in Germany since 2019.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), around 96,700 people were living with HIV in Germany at the end of 2023, including 8,200 undetected cases. While antiretroviral therapies have drastically reduced Aids-related deaths, prevention has stagnated, particularly among drug users and heterosexuals. An estimated 2,200 new infections were registered in 2023.

The HIV/Aids situation in sub-Saharan Africa was devastating but has improved significantly in recent decades. Thanks to falling new infections, declining deaths and improved access to antiretroviral therapy, around 25.9 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are now living with HIV. Despite this progress, the situation remains serious, especially for children and in regions with limited access to medical care. The future depends crucially on the continuation and expansion of prevention and treatment programs.

The International Stele “Always Remember” is a reminder that social acceptance is just as crucial as medical progress. It warns us to learn from history: while the medical community is working towards eliminating the virus, the social dimension of the crisis remains. Only through destigmatized spaces for testing and treatment can the pandemic be defeated once and for all. The stele, embedded in Berlin’s rainbow neighborhood, thus stands for a culture of remembrance that connects the past, present and future.