U It almost didn’t happen for Birgit Palzkill’s sports career. In elementary school, as Palzkill tells the project “Sport Time Witnesses,” there was no physical education at all in the 1950s in her home village in NRW, yet there was a sport grade — judged by appearance. Palzkill received a four. And she would have never joined the sports club herself later. Fortunately, Birgit Palzkill would be sent to the sports club by a teacher years later. Otherwise, German sport would have lost a great pioneer figure.
Pioneers in sport are often told by medals. Birgit Palzkill, who today lives as non-binary, was active in women’s sport at the time and collected medals. First as a shot putter, in 1970 she became a European Junior vice-champion. The goal was the 1972 Olympics, but West German shot putters were not allowed to participate — also due to a lack of medal chances against the doped East Bloc women. Palzkill then switched to basketball, becoming again a high-performance athlete and national player, as well as a cup winner and a three-time German champion.
But deeper traces in sport are often left by those who open discourses and spur change. This movement in the truest sense becomes Palzkill’s great legacy: Palzkill is one of the first people to research and speak about lesbian women in elite sport. And the first person to publish a study on sexualized violence in German sport in 1998.
Already as an athlete, Palzkill noticed certain things. Once, while playing at a European Basketball Championship against Danish players, the Danes competed without bras — and the crowd cheered for every player with large breasts. The athletes did not understand at first what was going on, then Palzkill realized: “People were there to look at women’s bodies. I found that very demeaning.” As a shot putter, Palzkill also noticed the often dependency-driven sexual relationships between athletes and coaches. The shot-putters, ridiculed as “man-women,” sought to elevate themselves through that. These are important memories for later.
Formative Women’s Movement
How formative it is when athletes are not fully professional and have other horizons, soon becomes evident. Birgit Palzkill, whose main profession is teacher, moves to Cologne in 1976 — and comes into contact with the women’s movement. Suddenly many personal experiences in the world of sport gain a political-theoretical footing. Palzkill begins living as a lesbian, yet even in the women’s movement lesbian life is often still a taboo. In order to start a dialogue, Palzkill begins an interview project with lesbian elite athletes. What emerges is a vast under-the-radar field; the interest is overwhelming. In 1990 a pioneering study arises.
Birgit Palzkill lands on the cover of the Bild newspaper. The boulevard headlines, as Palzkill tells the eyewitness project, are sensational: “The Sweet Tennis Girls — Almost All Lesbian.” But among athletes there is enormous support. Palzkill does not experience significant negative consequences — unlike in other areas. Commissioned by the then Ministry for Women, Palzkill publishes the first German study on sexualized violence in sport in 1998 together with Michael Klein.
“I could not imagine at all what that shitstorm would mean.” Insults, massive pressure, a ban on giving training sessions. Perhaps the biggest taboo is that the two talk about structures — because supposedly there are only individual cases. Initially the study is kept under wraps, then, under pressure from NRW Prime Minister Johannes Rau, it is published. And Palzkill realizes: the press picks up the topic. Things begin to move.
There are many more lives within this one dynamic and moving life. Palzkill’s role in the peace movement also shows how sport was at the forefront there. And in the course of a long life, Palzkill has enjoyed witnessing real changes. Also in the structures. Since 2017, Palzkill has served as the Independent Commissioner for the Protection against Sexualized Violence of the State Sports Federation of NRW (Landessportbund NRW).
