Ruth Roellig (1878-1969), author, journalist and travel writer, is best known for her guidebook Berlins lesbische Frauen – Berlin’s Lesbian Women, first published in 1928, reprinted until its banning by the Nazis circa 1938. More than a guidebook, it was a rousing social and political rallying call – there is struggle, Ruth wrote, ‘but side by side with that, the joy of dancing’. The Forward to this 72-page book was written by pioneering sexologist and activist Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935). Hirschfeld founded the Institute for Sexual Research and was an outspoken advocate for homosexuals, lesbians, sexual minorities and transgender rights. He was also gay – so no wonder Ruth Roellig asked him to officially endorse and introduce her remarkable book.
Berlins lesbische Frauen was a guide like no other, listing and describing all the lesbian-identified social contacts and venues which included twelve social clubs, two ice-skating leagues, at least one nudist retreat, three outdoor sports associations, six or so lesbian magazines and fifty bars and clubs, plus information relating to medical, legal and ‘who to ask/where to find’ matters that were specifically helpful to lesbians – whether they were Berliners or tourists. Forget Paris, Weimar Berlin was the Lesbian Capital of the World in the 1920s and early 30s. There has never been a time quite like it.
Ruth Roellig wrote novels, travel books, articles, stories and poems, and she boosted her income with editing and secretarial work. Petit and attractive, she carried her pet monkey almost everywhere she went.
Ruth was born in Schwiebus and moved to Berlin with her parents at the age of nine in 1887. Always writing, she published her first novel in 1913. At least ten more books were published over her lifetime. The love of Ruth’s life was Erika (surname unknown). Erika was somewhat younger than Ruth. They were interested in the occult, doted on their pet monkey and gave great parties. Their social circle featured artists, especially actresses and writers. A good friend, Ruth was always welcoming. Ruth and Erika were together for almost thirty years, enduring WW2 and the bombing of their home. The pair were only parted by Ruth’s death in 1969, aged 90.
As Hitler’s power increased, freedoms where steadily lost – including freedom of speech. Ruth was tormented by a difficult decision: if she wanted to keep publishing, she would have to join the Nazi-created Reich Literature Association – a prerequisite for publication during the Third Reich. She did join – yet published nothing after 1937. Her final novel was distinctly different from previous work and included antisemitic and racist references. Claudia Schoppmann, author of Days of Masquerade: Life Stories of Lesbians During the Third Reich suggests that this digression may have been for literary and monetary survival, for at the same time Ruth was assisting Jewish friends by taking them into her home.
You can find Ruth and Erika in my historical novel, A Secretive Life. Ruth Roellig’s name has been largely forgotten until relatively recently when LGBTQIA+ archivists, historians and writers have re-claimed and re-vitalised LGBTQIA+ history. Three cheers for Ruth Roellig! – let us celebrate, and remember.
... (An invaluable reference has been Claudia Schoppmann’s Days of Masquerade: Life Stories of Lesbians During the Third Reich. Schoppmann’s book features in-depth research and original interviews with German lesbians who experienced the Weimar and Nazi eras.)
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