Fisting is not a modern invention, but a form of expression of queer sexuality with deep historical roots. Its visibility may only have grown in the second half of the 20th century, but the themes associated with it - body power, boundaries, surrender, self-empowerment - have always been part of queer experience.

Origin in the leather and subculture

The modern history of fisting began in the 1970s in the gay leather community of San Francisco. In clubs like the "Catacombs" - a legendary place for sexual freedom and physical exploration - practices such as fisting were not only tolerated, but actually celebrated. Men met here who did not see their bodies as objects of conformity, but as spaces of truth. Fisting was not just a practice, but a ritual: accompanied by respect, agreement and mutual care.

Physical rebellion in a medicalized world

Fisting was also a form of resistance. At a time when queer sexuality was medically pathologized, legally persecuted and socially stigmatized, the radical disclosure of the body was a political act. Opening up - both physically and symbolically - became a sign of self-empowerment: You can devalue me, but I take back my body. I decide what pleasure means.

The 1980s and the epidemic of silence

Everything changed with the onset of the AIDS crisis. Fisting was suddenly classified as high-risk behavior, often equated with panic and moral condemnation. But instead of disappearing, a differentiated approach developed within the community: safer sex-oriented techniques were developed, medical knowledge was shared and hygiene standards were established, some of which still apply today.

Queer activists such as the ACT UP or GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis) groups not only campaigned for medical care, but also for education - on all sexual practices, not just the socially accepted ones. That was new. And it was necessary.

From shadow to light: the 1990s to today

A slow change began in the 1990s. The queer scene became more visible and fisting lost its purely subcultural status. Workshops emerged and artistic works took up the practice - for example in the photography of Robert Mapplethorpe or the literature of Dennis Cooper. And last but not least, the first attempts were made to establish a queer, body-affirming holiday: International Fisting Day.

May 5th has no central founding date, no foundation, no official body. Like many queer movements, it emerged from the community itself. From the need for visibility. For recognition. For a day of its own for a practice that is so much more than a sex act.

Why this day is important

Today, May 5 stands for:

• the de-tabooing of queer desire

• the political right to physical self-determination

• a reminder of all those who have lost their bodies because they lacked knowledge and acceptance

• the celebration of a practice that redefines closeness, control and devotion

Fisting is radical - but not because it is "extreme". But because it creates spaces that are not provided for in the norm. Spaces where intimacy is possible without words. Where receptivity is a strength. Where you can decide how far you want to go.

International Fisting Day is therefore not just a provocation - it is a monument: to the courage it takes to belong to yourself. To the knowledge that heals. And to a community that says: you're okay just the way you are.