Manuela Kay
Encyclopedia
Manuela Kay is a German
lesbian
journalist
, writer
, film-maker, and magazine editor.
es and leather dyke
s. An earlier collaborative video, Du Darfst (1992) and her Latex Hearts (1993) brought safe sex
and morality for lesbians to the German-speaking screen for the first time. During the 1990s and until 2005 Kay worked for the Berlin International Film Festival
and the Teddy Award
, the official queer award at the Berlin International Film Festival. She has also been a co-organiser of the Berlin Porn Film Festival, and a curator at the Gay Museum
in Berlin, where an exhibition she organised attracted attention by comparing Bruce Willis
's behavior to that of lesbians. She frequently lectures at queer film festivals. In 2005 the woman-only world premiere of her "Making Lesbian Pornography" at the inaugural Liverpool Lesbian and Gay Film Festival was a sell-out. She appears as one of the lesbians whose experiences are contrasted with those of gay men such as Albrecht Becker
in Rosa von Praunheim
's 2008 documentary, Tote Schwule, Lebende Lesben (Dead Gay Men and Living Lesbians).
Kay has written two books of advice for lesbians (Schöner Kommen, 2000, now in its 4th edition, and Diese Liebe Nehm' Ich Mir, 2001) and co-written books about lesbianism and queer film, and is also the author of numerous articles on lesbian themes. From 1996 to 2005 she was editor-in-chief and the only lesbian at Siegessäule, a prominent gay magazine which she converted into a gay and lesbian magazine. Since its launch in 2003, Kay has been editor-in-chief of the only nationwide German lesbian magazine, L.Mag.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, film-maker, and magazine editor.
Life and career
After finishing her studies, Kay worked as a journalist on various radio programmes. She made several videos on lesbian sexuality and pornography. In 1994 she and Silke Dunkhorst made the first German lesbian pornographic film, Airport, set at Tegel Airport and in the S & M club scene and depicting air stewardessFlight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
es and leather dyke
Dyke (slang)
Dyke is slang terminology referring to a lesbian or lesbianism. It originated as a derogatory label for a masculine woman, and this usage still exists. However, some attempt to use it in a manner they see as positive, or simply as a neutral synonym for lesbian...
s. An earlier collaborative video, Du Darfst (1992) and her Latex Hearts (1993) brought safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
and morality for lesbians to the German-speaking screen for the first time. During the 1990s and until 2005 Kay worked for the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
and the Teddy Award
Teddy Award
The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival . Here, an "independent jury" implies that its members are not officially selected by the committee of the Berlinale...
, the official queer award at the Berlin International Film Festival. She has also been a co-organiser of the Berlin Porn Film Festival, and a curator at the Gay Museum
Schwules Museum
The Schwules Museum is an LGBT museum in Berlin which opened in 1985.The impetus for the founding of the Schwules Museum was a successful exhibition on gay topics at the Berlin Museum in summer 1984, Eldorado. This was the first public exposition in Germany of recent research on gay life...
in Berlin, where an exhibition she organised attracted attention by comparing Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
's behavior to that of lesbians. She frequently lectures at queer film festivals. In 2005 the woman-only world premiere of her "Making Lesbian Pornography" at the inaugural Liverpool Lesbian and Gay Film Festival was a sell-out. She appears as one of the lesbians whose experiences are contrasted with those of gay men such as Albrecht Becker
Albrecht Becker
Albrecht Becker was a production designer, photographer, and actor, who was imprisoned by the Nazi regime for the charge of homosexuality....
in Rosa von Praunheim
Rosa von Praunheim
Rosa von Praunheim , in Riga, Latvia. His given name is Holger Mischwitzky. He is a German film director, author, painter and gay rights activist. Openly gay, he is one of the initiators of the gay rights movement in Germany....
's 2008 documentary, Tote Schwule, Lebende Lesben (Dead Gay Men and Living Lesbians).
Kay has written two books of advice for lesbians (Schöner Kommen, 2000, now in its 4th edition, and Diese Liebe Nehm' Ich Mir, 2001) and co-written books about lesbianism and queer film, and is also the author of numerous articles on lesbian themes. From 1996 to 2005 she was editor-in-chief and the only lesbian at Siegessäule, a prominent gay magazine which she converted into a gay and lesbian magazine. Since its launch in 2003, Kay has been editor-in-chief of the only nationwide German lesbian magazine, L.Mag.
Films
- Du Darfst (1992)
- Latex Hearts (1993)
- (with Silke Dunkhorst) Airport (1994)
Books
- Schöner Kommen: Das Sexbuch für Lesben. Berlin: Querverlag, 2000, 4th ed. 2002. ISBN 3896560476
- Diese Liebe Nehm' Ich Mir: Der Lesben-Ratgeber. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 2001. ISBN 3499611805
- (with Axel SchockAxel SchockAxel Schock is a German journalist and author.Schock grew up in Sinsheim. He studied literature and theater at the Free University of Berlin...
) Out im Kino!: Das Lesbisch-Schwule Filmlexikon. Berlin: Querverlag, 2003. ISBN 3896560905 - (with Kera Bolonik) The L-Word: Wilkommen in Unserer Welt. Berlin: Querverlag, 2006. ISBN 3896561316
External links
- L.Mag homepage
- Manuela Kay, "Ein Käfig voller Narben" ("A Cage Full of Scars" - article on LGBT film in Europe, German), Tageszeitung 4 March 2006
- Manuela Kay, "Unvermitteltes Poppen: Ein Pornofilm ist Kein Liebesfilm" ("Unmediated Screwing: A Porn Film is not a Love Film" - German), Tageszeitung 14 October 2006
- Manuela Kay in the German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...
catalogue - Manuela Kay at IMDb