Journalist Anna Rüling, born on this day in 1880, is remembered for delivering what is widely regarded as the first known public speech addressing the social and legal challenges faced by lesbians.
Born Theodora (“Theo”) Anna Sprüngli into a middle-class family in Hamburg, she has been described by some historians as one of the first modern women to publicly identify as homosexual and as one of the earliest known lesbian activists. She initially trained as a violinist, but after injuring her arm, she turned to journalism. She began her career with a local newspaper before moving to Berlin, where she worked for newspaper magnate August Scherl, writing about theatre and music.
In 1904, Rüling was invited to speak at the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, the world’s first LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. She delivered a speech titled Homosexualität und Frauenbewegung (Homosexuality and the Women’s Movement), in which she argued that lesbian women shared certain characteristics traditionally associated with men. Reflecting contemporary sexological theories, she also maintained that homosexual people constituted a “third gender.” Rüling further argued that lesbian women were particularly well suited to professional careers and public life.
She later published a collection of short stories and continued working as a journalist. In 1906, she moved to Düsseldorf, where she lived for the next thirty years. During this period, she became a regular contributor to Neue Deutsche Frauenzeitung, a right-wing newspaper that supported some moderate reforms regarding women’s rights.
During the First World War, Rüling expressed strongly patriotic, nationalist and imperialist views. There is no evidence that she ever joined the Nazi Party. In the late 1930s, she moved to Ulm, where she worked as a secretary, director and script editor for a local theatre company.
Following the Second World War, she relocated to Delmenhorst, where she continued working in theatre while also resuming her journalism career. She died suddenly in 1953 at the age of 72. At the time of her death, she was among the oldest female journalists in Germany.
The Rocky Horror Picture show made its debut in 1975
After a becoming a hit show in the West End and Los Angeles, the Rocky Horror Show was transformed into the screen version The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The cult-classic made it’s debut in the United Kingdom on this day in 1975 with many of the cast from the original stage production appearing in the the screen version. The film’s US debut came a month later.
Back in 2012 OUTinPerth chatted to the amazing Patricia Quinn who played the role of Magenta in both the original stage play and the film. While in 2017 we caught up with Richard O’Brien, the creator of the musical, who played the part of Riff Raff.
At first the film version had limited success but its popularity grew as cinemas began hosting midnight screening of the film and audiences began adding in a wide variety of actions, props and interactions with the characters on screen.
The film has always been available to movie theatres, which is an oddity in the world of film distribution. The explosion of home video in the early 1980s put the film into households around the world, making it a cult classic.
Anna Rüling image: the copyright owner of this image is unknown as it used under Fair Use.
