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Berlin cemetery is designated as ‘Lesbian-Only’

Sarah Hofmann Contributor
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A plot of land in a Lutheran cemetery in Berlin has been reserved for lesbian internment only. A 4,300-square-foot area of the Lutheran Georgen Parochial in the middle of the city is planned to be the final resting place of around 80 lesbians.

The Safia Association, a German lesbian-interest group, said, “where life and death connect, distinctive forms of cemetery culture can develop and where the lesbian community can live together in the afterlife.” Spokeswoman Usah Zachau said the area will be inaugurated Sunday, reports ABC News.

Lesbian and Gay Association of Berlin spokesman Joerg Steinert is happy with the Lutheran church’s decision. He said, “It increases the diversity of opportunities and is a nice opportunity for those lesbian women who want to be buried among other lesbians.”

In exchange for the plot, Safia will be responsible for the upkeep and landscaping of the land for 30 years. In Germany, it is normal for different groups to have renewable leases on  plots of land for certain amounts of time, as opposed to buying them.

A spokesman for the Berlin Lutheran church, Volker Jastrzembski, said this move fits into the outreach they are trying to do with different groups, even of other faiths. He said, “We are also in an ongoing discussion with Muslim groups to see whether they can have their own plots on our cemeteries.”

The cemetery is currently overgrown in many parts, with toppled headstones. Zachau said they have already invested a good deal of money into clearing and restoring their plot.

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Sarah Hofmann