Raid on queer center in Berlin: criminalization of health care for trans people

In Berlin, the police stormed the queer center Casa Kuà and confiscated hormone preparations for trans people. To this day, medical care for trans people is associated with humiliating questions and hurdles that make access difficult.

On Sunday evening there was a raid in the queer center Casu Kuà in Berlin-Kreuzberg, during which 38 emergency services took medicinefor trans peopleconfiscated.Accusedthe Center is accused of violating the Medicines Act. Casu Kuà is a place for queer people that offers a weekly meeting specifically for trans people on Sundays. This time, however, the meeting was interrupted by the police. They then recorded the personal details of at least 21 people.

That same evening, around 140 people gathered for a spontaneous demonstration against the raid. A short time later, more police tubs arrived, from which more police officers then surrounded the demonstration. The Casu Kuà is now seeking legal advice and collecting donations for its ongoingGoFundMe campaign.

Take self-determination into your own hands

To this day, medical care for trans people is still associated with major hurdles, paperwork, endless waiting times, and humiliating questions from therapists and “specialists.” According to a ruling, the care of non-binary people in particular has not been clarified, which means, for example, that health insurance companies will cover the costs of operationsrejectedbecomes.

Even if trans people manage to overcome all hurdles and are prescribed hormones, these are often only available in the form of tablets, gel or patches. Tablets in particular are often not desired as they can put strain on the liver over a long period of time. Even after years, the prescribed dosages are often still too low to achieve the correct hormone levels. That's why trans people have to check their values ​​themselves and, if necessary, fight with their doctors for the right dosage.

One type of administration of hormones that is rarely prescribed in Germany is through injections. These only need to be increased weekly and often enable hormone therapy without additional hormone blockers against the unwanted hormone.

Because of all these hurdles and low-quality medical care, trans people are often forced to obtain life-saving hormones through unofficial channels and to educate themselves about the effects and dosage of the hormones. Such self-organized offers are one of the few places where trans people can get help and get answers to questions that the existing state systems have no answers to.

Police: No protection for queer people

Just a few months ago, whenstopAfter a woman was killed and others injured at the CSD in Berlin, the government, in addition to more protection for queer people, primarily demanded the strengthening of the repressive authorities and used the case to justify more racist policies.

How the federal government is exploiting the CSD attack

Realistically, the demand for protection of queer people is just lip service. The police regularly use sexualized and anti-queer violence against politically active queer people in order to keep them down. The state continues to try again and again to deport queer people to countries where they face extreme oppressionexposedbecome. The Interior Ministry planned to compile lists of trans peopleto make, which have already been decided at the state level in Baden-Württemberg, and now the Berlin police are taking away the smallest shred of self-determination that trans people had fought for. Protection for queer people? As far as the eye can see: none.

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