Sex: a history of the timeless taboo

The wild 1960s saw the greatest upheaval regarding sexual morality ever witnessed. Teen magazines like Germany's "Bravo" openly discussed sexual issues. Films exploring the previously 'taboo' subject were also produced, including the 1968 blockbuster "Zur Sache, Schätzchen" ("To the point, Darling") starring Werner Enke and Uschi Glas, directed by May Spils (pictured center).

In the early 1950s the world was still in order - at least in the view of morality guardians in the young West Germany. Women played a wholly domestic role, as faithful wives, loving mothers and home-keepers. Only men went to work. Sex issues were taboo in the public and kissing on the street was strictly forbidden. Personal issues and morals were strongly influenced by church and state.

The movie "Die Sünderin" (The Sinner," 1951) starring Hildegard Knef was Germany's first scandalous film. In the view of most people during the conservative era of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, such filth should have been censored. Although the erotic scenes were only tantalizingly brief, they triggered heated debates on morality and open sexuality.

When the company Schering started to produce birth control pills in 1961, Germany's moral authorities immediately spoke out from the pulpits of churches condemning the "moral decay of youth." Magazines reported about sex addicted women who took the pill. Nonetheless, the new contraception methods helped women achieve more self-determination.

The student revolt in the late 60s disrupted more than the political order in West Germany. Indeed, a popular catch-cry of the counter culture was "Who sleeps twice with the same woman, is a part of the Establishment." During this time the notorious Kommune 1 was founded, where this new sexual freedom was practiced by many, including Rainer Langhans and Uschi Obermaier.

The political upheaval following the student revolt transformed the image of the family in the West. Young parents were no longer called Mom and Dad, but by their Christian names. In the schools, a sex education "atlas" was introduced for the subject biology in 1969. Entire school classes went to watch the sex education film "Helga," which had been commissioned by the health ministry.

The name 'Beate Uhse' became synonymous with the sale of erotic goods and toys. 98 percent of adults were reportedly aware of her name, although much less had braved 'exposure' and visited one of her stores. The foundation stone for her empire was laid in 1948 with the publication of a calendar, informing women on birth control. Later she made a fortune with her discreet adult mail order business.

In former East Germany, people enjoyed more sexual freedom than in West Germany. Nudist culture was almost de rigueur. And women were more emancipated - at least at first glance. They went to work clad in pants while giving their children over to state childcare. But behind the liberated facade, state-prescribed prudery was commonplace. This sign 'thanks' the mothers of East Germany.

Director Rosa von Praunheim - gay, radical and shrill - was one of the first filmmakers who focused on homosexuality in his films. With a 1971 documentary claiming that it was not the homosexual was perverted, but rather the society in which he lived, von Praunheim paved the way for the gay and lesbian movement in Germany.

For a long time, homosexuality was a hot topic in Germany and one which politicians dared not tackle. Paragraph 175, according to which sexual acts between males were punishable by law in West Germany, was mitigated in 1969 completely abolished in 1994. The current debate over gays in professional sports, however, demonstrates that discrimination is hardly a thing of the past.

Transvestite artist and Eurovision 2014 winner Conchita Wurst, alias Tom Neuwirth, has turned her/his character into a cult celebrity. A bearded drag queen in elegant evening dress, performing as an official TV host in front of tens of millions of viewers? In 2015, nobody seemed to bat a fake eyelash. Or so it seemed. This 'cultural turning point' is explored in depth in Bonn.

Drag queen and TV host Lilo Wanders launched the exhibition, offering a unique insight into "horizontal perspectives." "Shameless? Sexual Morality in Transition" presents the transformation of sexual morality and of role models in Germany from three perspectives - the East, the West and the reunified Germany. The exhibition runs until February 14, 2016, at Bonn's Haus der Geschichte.