To Kiss or Not to Kiss
November 29, 2004
Dubbed Berlin's Governing Party Master, Klaus Wowereit can often be found mingling with the city's glitterati and regularly makes it into the gossip columns of Berlin's newspapers.
A photo of him pretending to pour champagne into a stiletto was splashed across front pages a few years ago and had some worried that Wowereit was not comporting himself with the appropriate dignity.
The fact that he's gay seems to be no problem and his outing statement, "I'm gay and that's just fine," became a German catchphrase.
But a photo of Wowereit canoodling with Desiree Nick, an entertainer and the winner of Germany's version of the reality TV show "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here," on the cover of mass tabloid Bild was too much to bear for members of the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU).
While Bild followed the kissing story for several days and questioned the mayor's homosexuality as a result, CDU parliamentarians required Wowereit to address the issue in the city's legislature.
Doing Berlin a disservice?
"Mr Wowereit is not doing Berlin a service with such photos," the CDU's Roland Gewalt said, according to the Berliner Zeitung. He added that the mayor also committed a major faux pas by wearing an ivory-colored suit during a recent trip to Thailand as opposed to a more appropriate outfit in a darker color.
While saying that he regretted the kissing photo, Wowereit, who has a partner, told parliamentarians that he had no plans to apologize for locking lips with Nick, adding that he had fun doing so.
Some of his Social Democratic party members also came out in his support.
"I really don't care whether Wowereit kisses people privately or in public, as long as it's not Angela Merkel (photo)," said parliamentarian Swen Schulz, referring to the CDU's national leader and potential challenger of German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the 2006 general election.
Should Wowereit plan to get intimate at another party this year, he'll have to rely on invites, however. A Berlin radio station recently reported that the financially struggling city has no money left to host social events.