Enrique Doleschy, Mr Gay Germany 2018, visited Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe. We took the opportunity to talk to him about the actual purpose of modelling competitions, among other things. and asked him how to win such a competition. And of course, the topic of the summer also came up: Safer Sex 3.0.
I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING: Enrique, you were recently in South Africa and took part in the Mr Gay World contest.
Enrique Doleschy: Oh yes, and let me tell you: That was a lot of work. Celebrity lifestyle my arse! The alarm clock rings every morning at 6 a.m. And if you're lucky, you get to bed at midnight. Working there means photo shoots in suits, swimming trunks, sponsor shirts and so on. We also visited the sponsors on site. And attended various press events. We candidates also attended the parade for diversity, the so-called "Pink Glory". It's something like the CSD. It's comparable in size to the CSD in my home town of Mainz. Berlin or Cologne are a completely different kettle of fish.
"That was a lot of work. Celebrity lifestyle my arse!"
The part I enjoyed the most was helping out on site in the nature reserve and working with the animals there. I think something like this is particularly important, as a big fire raged in this region last year. This way, we can also give something back to the people there with the Mr Gay World event.
Oh, and I made it into the top 10 in the election itself. After all. (laughs)
What made you decide to apply for Mr Gay Germany 2018?
"I was already aware that the election wasn't just about good looks.„
To be honest, my very first thought was a bit of hurt self-esteem. At the beginning of 2017, I took part in a contest for "Mr Gay Berlin" at a party in Berlin. But I only came third. Then a few months later, I wrote an email to the organisers of "Mr Gay Germany" without much of a plan and simply added a few Instagram photos of myself. I would never have thought that one of them would actually get in touch with me.
I was already aware that the election wasn't just about good looks. That's why I sat down and developed my campaign. I wanted to bring a topic to the fore that hasn't yet received much attention in the community.
And what exactly is your campaign?
The campaign is called "Silver Rainbow" and is primarily concerned with 2 major issues:
On the one hand, my campaign deals with the conditions for different generations of gay men. On the one hand, we have a young generation that is growing up in a fairly liberal climate. With broad public acceptance. On the other hand, the older generation didn't have these conditions back then. Some people now realise that you can come out today - even if you've been heterosexual for a long time, for example. For gay men who have been alone a lot of their lives or have not been able to live out their sexuality, there have been few contact points in Germany for these men. I want to change that. The cities of Berlin and Mannheim, for example, have opened their doors to me with this topic. I see my role as a connector of different people and groups.
"With my campaign, I want to bring the different generations a little closer together again."
Secondly, there often seems to be too little contact between young and older gay men. For guys in their early 20s, men over the age of 30 are often considered very old. But there will be more older gay men in the future. With my campaign, I want to bring the different generations closer together again. Why shouldn't the young gay men, who rightly enjoy their freedoms and celebrate at CSD, for example, also thank the older men who made this possible in the first place? Afterwards, we can always continue celebrating together.
We at ICH WEISS WAS ICH TU also have a new campaign this summer. You've probably already heard about SAFER SEX 3.0. What do you think about this topic?
I keep realising how little many people in the community know about it. Okay, PrEP is becoming more and more popular in the community. But when it comes to protection through therapy, I still keep hearing: "Huh, that's a thing? What is that exactly?" And that's why I think it's really good that you're now clearly saying: 'Hey guys, all three methods - condoms, PrEP and protection through therapy - provide effective protection against HIV.
I myself have also been educating people about all three safer sex methods for a long time. By the way, I particularly like videos on YouTube where gay men present the three methods in a very relaxed way and explain why they use a condom, PrEP or protection through therapy. I think that's a great thing.
And what role does safer sex play in your life?
For me, the topic is not relevant at the moment as I've had a partner for 5 months. I don't have to worry about sex with other men. At least not yet. I hope he doesn't get the idea either. (laughs) But who knows what will happen then?
Does this also mean that you and your boyfriend went for an HIV check at the beginning of your relationship?
Well, first of all, we talked very openly about everything right from the start. Also about testing and so on. My boyfriend is involved with a local AIDS service organisation and also works in a testing project there. So it was a matter of course for us to get tested.
Dear Enrique, thank you very much for this interview and your visit to DAH!
Thank you very much!
__________
You might also be interested in these links:
More information about ICH WEISS WAS ICH TU can be found at www.iwwit.de!
Directly to Safer Sex 3.0
More about > Protection through therapy, > Condoms, > PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)
