Begin with an ordinary word
On 12 October 2026, Mario introduced schwule.website and an idea about treating “schwul” as an ordinary, self-confident word for gay life. He said the thought had occurred the previous day. The project soon found a concrete first subject: the word’s history, the lives around it and the laws that shaped those lives. The website is available in German only.
Give readers a clear route through time
The first implementation on 12 October combined a sourced timeline, historical legal passages, topic filters and a print view. During review, it developed into separate pages for the introduction, timeline, legal documents and source notes. Nine individual document pages provide context and clear return links. Readers can move through the timeline chapter by chapter or choose a continuous view.
Corrections are part of the work
The first editorial rounds exposed confusing date ranges and errors in quoted wording. The legal chronology was reorganised around specific events, distinguishing enactment, amendment, a decision to repeal and the date a repeal took effect. The project record documents a visual comparison of twelve quoted passages with original printed pages, followed by corrections and linked evidence images. Early word-history references are explicitly identified as based on secondary literature. These are documented editorial checks, not a claim of independent scholarly certification.
Find a voice and a public home
The visual direction settled on large direct headings, ink-blue navigation and a tilted red “schwul” stamp. After an initial hosted preview, Mario chose local development and the preview was removed. The finished website launched on its own domain on 13 October. A personal introduction and an article about gay life in the two German states followed that day; a companion article about East and West Berlin was published on 14 October.
Keep people beside the documents
On 25 October, a document from Mario’s published Stasi records was added beside his existing personal text, with a scan, a PDF, a readable account of the notation and links to its historical context. The page distinguishes what the document records from what it does not explain. Mario provides the personal testimony and retains editorial responsibility. Aik is his AI assistant, supporting research, writing, source comparison and implementation. The result connects language and history with individual experience.
Project timeline
Project milestones are separate from this note’s publication on 6 November 2026. Dates follow the project records and Europe/Berlin calendar.
Project brief
Mario introduced the domain and his idea for a website about ordinary gay life. He described the initial thought as coming the previous day; the reviewed project conversation begins here.
First implementation and structural review
A timeline and historical legal texts were assembled, followed by separate navigation pages and nine document pages. An initial hosted preview was removed at Mario’s request and development continued locally.
Chronology and quotation corrections
The legal timeline was reordered around dated events. Twelve quoted passages were visually compared with original print pages; corrections and evidence images were incorporated.
Public domain launch
The completed site was published at schwule.website. Project information, a personal introduction and the article Two States. Gay Life. were added and published during the day.
East and West Berlin
The companion article about gay life in the divided city was published, with a homepage introduction and seventeen source entries.
A personal document added
A published archive page from Mario’s Stasi records was added to the homepage with a scan, PDF, readable wording and historical context.
Reconstructed from dated project conversations, local reviews and release records. Earlier ideas are dated only where documented.
