Nine months ago, 36-year-old André from Dortmund surprisingly became Mr Bear 2011. The Ruhr Valley kid hasn't been taking it easy since then, but is committed to safer sex with the "PLAY SAFE PLEASE" campaign
You've been Mr Bear 2011 since November 2010, is it still nice?
Yes, it is, but it's also quite exhausting. I'm on the road a lot because you want to show your presence. But it's also fun.
After you won, however, you wanted to take things rather slowly and see what the office had in store for you.
I'm also taking things relatively slowly by comparison. The travel plan of my predecessor, Reinhard, was much denser. (Reinhard is also an IWWIT role model(interviewer's note). Sometimes it's just not possible to go to every event. But of course I tried to go to all the big events. All in all, it worked out very well.
With the "PLAY SAFE PLEASE" campaign, you are also present nationwide without having to travel everywhere. How did that come about?
I'm good friends with Kim, the Vice Mr Rubclub. He's also travelling with me and many others this month in the "Masterful!" advert from IWWIT to see. After we had registered to vote, we sat down and thought about what we would do if we actually won. We quickly realised that we wanted to get involved in HIV prevention. Kim is a volunteer with the Hein & Fiete project in Hamburg, who supported us with our idea right from the start. When we presented the finished motifs in Hamburg, the guys from Hein & Fiete were so enthusiastic that they suggested the campaign to their partner organisations manCheck in Berlin, CheckUp in Cologne, Sub e.V. in Munich and AG36 in Frankfurt. As a result, we are now represented nationwide.
The campaign looks very professional!
Half measures are not my thing. You either do it right or you don't. We worked together with Tino, a photographer friend from Pfefferminz Photografik, and Christian from the advertising agency "czwei" here in Dortmund.
Were you surprised by the success of the campaign?
Absolutely. When we developed the four motifs, we had no idea what was in store for us. The starting signal was given at the Easter meeting in Berlin. manCheck and IWWIT employees distributed the campaign around the city. When Kim and I turned up at the various events, all sorts of people suddenly congratulated us on the successful idea and asked where they could get a poster. No matter where we went: Our cards were already on display. Signing autographs was also something completely new for me. The whole thing was a bit strange, but of course it made us really happy.
Does it help that you look so good?
(laughs) That's a matter of opinion. I think it's great that the campaign isn't about that. I want to get my message across.
And that is?
Take care of yourself! Think about what you are doing! Which is actually nothing other than what all prevention projects advocate. That's why we fit in so well.
Has there been any negative feedback?
A few other sash wearers may have said "Boy, shift down a gear now, you're getting on my nerves!" But overall, I've had almost nothing but positive feedback so far. I want to make the most of my year in office. Now it's time for the final spurt!
What happens between now and November?
There are still three big dates coming up. Next weekend I have a home game at Christopher Street Day Dortmund. A somewhat smaller, but very nice CSD - of course I can't miss it. On the second weekend in September, I'm going to the Folsom street festival in Berlin with my sash colleagues, which is definitely one of the highlights of the year. And the following week is the traditional Gay Sunday at the Oktoberfest in Munich in the Bräurosl tent. I look forward to it every year. You meet friends from all over Europe, as long as you manage to get into the tent. That's not always easy.
And then the next Mr Bear is elected. A word of advice for your successor, please!
Just be yourself and don't let anyone bend you. Then it will work out.
(Interview: Paul Schulz)
