People Gay activist Ernst Ostertag celebrates his 95th birthday
SDA
19.1.2025 - 07:06

Ernst Ostertag is a pioneer for the legal equality of homosexual people in Switzerland. In an interview with "SonntagsBlick" on the occasion of his 95th birthday, the Zurich native explains what bothers him about the Woke movement.
There is no secret to such a long life, said Ostertag. His genes are probably responsible for his old age. He celebrates his 95th birthday on Tuesday. The fact that he has avoided stress in his life can hardly be the reason for this. Together with his late partner Röbi Rapp, he campaigned for gay rights back in the 1950s. The film "The Circle", released in 2014, tells the story of their activism.
Ostertag continues to hold a trenchant opinion. The Woke movement overshot the mark with its demands on how to speak anew. "And with the arrogant attitude that anyone who didn't do this would be canceled," he said. He has always fought against this because it is inhumane.
In companies in the USA, the reaction to this was not only to cancel gendering, but entire programs for employees who loved people of the same sex. Of course there are non-binary people, said Ostertag: "But pushing politics on them harms this minority and ultimately all of us."
Love affair for three
In 2003, Ostertag and Rapp were the first couple to register their gay partnership in the canton of Zurich. They were a couple for 61 years. Rapp died six years ago. "It's no longer the case that tears immediately stream down my face," said Ostertag in the interview. "But I still feel like I'm in half somehow."
For Ostertag, it was an "incredible gift" that he was able to experience love from his partner Giovanni. "Röbi and I had a three-way partnership with him for 15 years, and since his death there have been two of us," says the soon-to-be 95-year-old.