Berlin funds drag courses for teens while pushing controversial books for toddlers
Berlin’s Reinickendorf district has introduced a state-funded drag course for teenagers aged 13 to 17. The programme, priced at €45 per participant, encourages young people to explore drag personas through makeup, dance, and lip-sync lessons. Meanwhile, city officials have recommended controversial books for children as young as three, sparking debate over age-appropriate content in schools and nurseries. The drag course, open to all gender identities, invites teenagers to 'Discover your drag persona' in a structured environment. Organisers describe the sessions as a creative outlet, blending performance skills with self-expression.
Separately, Berlin’s education authorities have endorsed a series of books for early childhood settings. *Untenrum: Und wie sagst du?* ('Down below: And what do you call it?') instructs three-year-olds to examine their genitals using mirrors and flashlights. The book also depicts kindergarteners playing 'body games' while explicitly stating adults should not join in. Another recommended title, *Me and My Dysphoria Monster*, presents gender transition as the sole solution to happiness for children with dysphoria. The list also includes *Körper sind toll* ('Bodies are great'), which features illustrations of women post-mastectomy, showing surgical scars as part of their 'trans male' identity. These materials were selected by the city’s 'queer employee network', working with the commissioner for sexual and gender diversity. They are now available in nurseries, kindergartens, and after-school programmes across Berlin.
The drag course and book recommendations reflect a broader push to integrate gender and sexuality topics into early education. City-funded initiatives now reach children from toddler age through to their teenage years. Officials have not yet addressed public concerns over the suitability of such content for young audiences.
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