Research Presentation – Saturday, October 24, 4:00 PM

This talk explores the history of “HOSI Salzburg – Queer Advocacy Group” and situates its founding within a broader historical context. The starting point is the homosexual emancipation movements of the 1960s and 1970s, whose international impulses significantly shaped developments in Austria as well. From early initiatives such as “Coming-out! – Initiativgruppe Homosexualität,” the talk traces a path to the founding of the Homosexuelle Initiative Wien in 1979, and finally to Salzburg. At the center is the conflict-laden founding of “HOSI Salzburg – Queer Advocacy Group” in 1980. Public debates, letters to the editor, and early networking efforts around Walter Klappacher led to the desire for a dedicated homosexual initiative in Salzburg. The talk traces how the work of the initial “Männergruppe Salzburg – Homosexuelle Initiative” has evolved since then — from early demands for legal equality and protection against discrimination, through film series, discussions, leaflet campaigns, and demonstrations, to today’s forms of queer activism. The history of “HOSI Salzburg – Queer Advocacy Group” adds another facet to the multifaceted mosaic of Salzburg’s urban history, while also reflecting a fundamental social transformation: the long path from queer invisibility and social exclusion to legal recognition and a public presence of queer lived realities.

Conny Felice, Managing Director of HOSI Salzburg, will be present and contribute her expertise.

Patrick Trupp is studying History at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg and focuses on contemporary historical and socio-political topics. One focal point of his interest lies in the local history of Salzburg and developments that have long remained invisible in the public urban landscape. His engagement with the history of “HOSI Salzburg – Queer Advocacy Group” combines historical research with questions of social emancipation and queer memory culture.