MANEO – The gay anti-violence project in Berlin is an independent project of the Mann-O-Meter association, which also runs Berlin’s gay health check-point.
MANEO has existed for 26 years (founded in 1990). It is Germany’s oldest, best-known and most experienced gay anti-violence project. MANEO receives funding from the Berlin Senate to pay for 2¼ posts and an office (€ 120.000), but not enough to cover all services and projects. This is only possible thanks to the large number of people committed to MANEO’s goals work on a voluntary basis and sponsors. We currently have around 50 volunteers and a voluntary advisory council, a body of 20 women and men. Current members include Klaus Wowereit, the former Governing Mayor of Berlin; Lala Süsskind, the former Chair of the Jewish Community in Berlin; André Schmitz, the former Cultural Secretary for the State of Berlin; Werner Gegenbauer, President of Hertha BSC; and Peter Kurth, a former Finance Senator for the State of Berlin und Dr. Berndt Schmidt, director of Berlins Friedrichstadt-Palast.
MANEO’s focus is on four core areas:
- psychosocial victim support for gay and bisexual youths and adult men More than 10,000 victims have taken us up on our support offer since 1990, 700 of them in the past year. MANEO has wide-ranging experience and has been working with experienced victim support centres in Germany and Europe.
- recording acts of violence: particularly anti-gay hate crime in The results are evaluated and published in an annual report (see: www.maneo.de).
- violence prevention: the public is informed about homophobia and hate-crime, gay scenes are informed about possible risks, and multipliers are networked and mobilised. MANEO promotes dialogue with the police and public prosecutor’s office in Berlin.
- empowerment: civic engagement is strengthened and mobilised (empowerment) and voluntary work at MANEO encouraged.
MANEO stands for diversity and tolerance in Berlin, takes a strong stand against all forms of prejudice-motivated hate violence and does so competently and creatively. MANEO made a considerable contribution to the establishment of LSBT*-contact persons at Berlin police (1992) – the only full-time post of its kind in Germany – and LSBT*-contact persons at the Berlin state prosecution office (2012).
MANEO has established networks and alliances, we mobilise civic engagement and we attract public attention, for example: We have launched district forums; founded the Lesbian and Gay City Festival in the Schöneberg rainbow district in 1993, an event that attracts 400,000 guests each year; developed the Berlin Tolerance Alliance with 130 partners, both businesses and events, and has paved the way for new joint initiatives in the city, including the Dome of Lights in 2013 when the dome of Nollendorfplatz U-Bahn station in the Schöneberg “rainbow neighbourhood” was lit up in rainbow colours. Our regular annual events now include Kiss Kiss Berlin (between the International Day Against Racism on March 21 and the International Day Against Homophobia and Trans*-phobia on May 17).
Office of MANEO is available from Monday-Friday, victim support daily from 17h-19h.