From gay and lesbian political activism during the 1960s and 70s through the 1980s queer movement inspired by the AIDS crisis to the recent push towards normalization for same-sex couples via registered partnerships and adoption rights, LGBT issues have been moving steadily into the political and cultural mainstream of the German-speaking lands. A host of German LGBT culture has emerged in recent years, including films and literary works. Queerness has also taken hold within the academy of the German-speaking lands. The present volume includes contributions exploring the representation and reality of LGBT individuals and issues in historical and contemporary German-speaking culture. Leanne Dawson is Lecturer in German at the University of Edinburgh.