Gayhane

The gayhane party must be in Berlin the only oriental queer one. It happens every month at my beloved SO36 among a cosmopolitan crowd, sexually and culturally. And It was last Saturday, I went there for the first time in years but It’s one of the party in Berlin that stays over the years, and I still love it.At this party you will find German gays, cool and relaxed, some girls with short hairs and piercings with a boyish look, and some elegant Turkish women on high heels. Around 1:30 in the morning the queue starts to grow and you can see the mix of the population. Since 10 years, the gayhane (hane is the house in Turkish) the party takes place every last Saturday of the month for the Turkish gay community and more largely, oriental. Following the success, the crowd of tourists and inhabitants started to join, some lively trans’, some quiet straight couples and people of Berlin coming from all origins. Inside you will hear oriental music , some electro beats but always in a friendly atmosphere, almost familial. The deco of this punk place is changing inside for the party. Huge hangings, transparent veils and pink lights. On the dance floor, you will hear some sugared pop of DJ Miki and some know the songs and sing them loud. In Turkish. Girls move the hips and the wrists. Men too. But in a few minutes the Icone of the night, DJ Ipek, will appear. Her sets "Eklektik Berlinistan" are requested from New York to Stockholm, from Istanbul to Shanghai. But she would not miss for anything her monthly party in Berlin. This very cute brunette, tattooed and pierced is the soul of the gayhane. She says that this party helps people to meet. The Turkish gays but as well the Arabs, Kurds create links together. It allowed easier some coming outs. Today, she is one of the few to claim high and strong her homosexuality. On the dance floor, the beats are stronger than with the DJ before. A reggae hit has a taste of Turkish delight. We give her a bier, a cig. We could be in any club of Berlin but we feel here a breath of fleeting delivery. Bodies deliver themselves of the social and familial control. In the middle of the night, a group of trans make an oriental demonstration. At the entrance, you will find a post sign : “please no pictures”. What happens inside must stay a well kept secret. When you pay your entrance ticket, 1€ is given to LGBT associations.