Mann-O-Meter

Mann-O-Meter (MOM) is a counseling and information center for gay and bisexual men and youth located in the Schöneberg district of Berlin, Germany. It is operated by the registered association Mann-O-Meter e.V., which was founded in 1985 by a group of committed gay men. The center opened in 1986 as Germany's first gay "switchboard" and has since become a central point of contact for HIV/AIDS prevention, coming-out support, and a wide range of social services for the LGBTQ+ community. The association also runs the anti-violence project Maneo. The center offers anonymous and walk-in HIV and STI testing, psychological counseling, youth work, senior programs, and support for incarcerated individuals. It hosts numerous self-help and leisure groups, including those for chemsex, compulsive sexual behavior, and addiction recovery. Mann-O-Meter is a member of the German AIDS Service Organization (Deutsche Aidshilfe) and participates in the Gay Health Chat. Its work is largely carried out by volunteers, many of whom are themselves LGBTQ+ men. Over the decades, Mann-O-Meter has been a model for similar projects across Germany. It has been involved in establishing major Berlin events such as the Lesbian and Gay City Festival and the Christopher Street Day. In 2026, the association filed a lawsuit against the Berlin Senate's decision to stop funding its senior work, highlighting ongoing financial challenges. The center relies on donations and membership fees to sustain its free services.

Mann-O-Meter was founded in 1985 as a registered association by a group of committed gay men, initially under the leadership of Thomas Brüggemann and with the involvement of students including law student Jörg Stubben. The idea originated from a proposal by the Treffen Berliner Schwulengruppen (TBS) to develop a telephone counseling service for AIDS education. In 1986, the association opened the Mann-O-Meter center as Germany's first gay "switchboard." The first rented premises were in Manteuffelstraße in Kreuzberg, later moving to Motzstraße for many years. In 2001, due to increased space requirements, the association moved to Bülowstraße 106 on the other side of Nollendorfplatz, where it remains today. Support from figures such as filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim and then Berlin Health Senator Ulf Fink helped secure financial funding for the project. During the political turnaround (Wende), the center's services were heavily utilized by new target groups from East Germany and Eastern Europe, where AIDS had been less present in the media. Mann-O-Meter served as a model for numerous similar projects that were subsequently realized in West Germany. Over the years, the association expanded its offerings to include psychological counseling, youth work, senior programs, prison support, and chemsex counseling. In 1990, the Schwules Überfalltelefon Berlin (SÜB) was founded, which later became the anti-violence project Maneo, now a nationwide known project of the association. Maneo provides help and counseling for gay and bisexual youth and adult men in Berlin who have been victims of violence, documents homophobic attacks, and initiates anti-violence trainings in cooperation with the Berlin police. In 2006, Maneo received the Berlin Prevention Prize. Mann-O-Meter has also been instrumental in establishing major Berlin events such as the Lesbian and Gay City Festival and the Christopher Street Day. The center continues to rely heavily on volunteers and donations to maintain its free services. In 2026, the association filed a lawsuit against the Berlin Senate's decision to stop funding its senior work, reflecting ongoing financial challenges.

• 2026

  Filed lawsuit against the funding stop for senior work.

• 2024

  Conducted 2,162 test counseling and test contacts in the first half of 2024, leading among DAH-organized CBVCT centers.

• 2015

  Sex in the City! awarded the Sirius prize by BzGA and PKV-Verband.

• 2006

  Maneo received the Berlin Prevention Prize.

• 2001

  Moved to Bülowstraße 106 on the other side of Nollendorfplatz.

• 1990

  Schwules Überfalltelefon Berlin (SÜB) founded, later becoming Maneo.

• 1986

  Mann-O-Meter center opened as Germany's first gay switchboard.

• 1985

  Mann-O-Meter e.V. founded by a group of committed gay men.

Berlin's first address for information and counseling on gay life, offering low-threshold, volunteer-driven support.

• HIV and STI testing

  Anonymous, walk-in testing with counseling, targeting men who have sex with men and intravenous drug users.

• Psychological counseling

  Personal and telephone counseling by volunteers, with referrals to staff psychologists.

• Youth work

  Sex education workshops for school classes, the Jungschwuppen youth group for ages 14-27, and the Sex in the City! rally.

• Senior programs

  Offers for men aged 50+, including an outing group for museum visits and city walks.

• Prison support

  Counseling and support for inmates in Berlin prisons, formerly under the patronage of Federal Minister of Justice Brigitte Zypries.

• Chemsex support

  Counseling and groups for chemsex, including safer use and addiction help.

• Maneo anti-violence project

  Help and counseling for victims of homophobic violence, documentation of attacks, and anti-violence trainings.

1. 1Home | Mann-O-Meter e.V.mann-o-meter.de
2. 2Über uns | Mann-O-Meter e.V.mann-o-meter.de
3. 3Spenden | Mann-O-Meter e.V.mann-o-meter.de
4. 4Mitgliedschaft / Satzung | Mann-O-Meter e.V.mann-o-meter.de
5. 5Mann-O-Meter - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Mann-O-Meter - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org