Anna Vock
Known as “Mammina”, she helped sustain the Swiss organising and publishing networks from which “Der Kreis” emerged.
Anna Vock was born in Anglikon, Switzerland, in 1885. In 1931 she helped establish the Damenclub Amicitia in Zurich, a gathering place for women who loved women. Contacts with a gay men’s club soon led to joint meetings and wider organising.
The magazine “Freundschafts-Banner” first appeared in 1932; the title “Schweizerisches Freundschafts-Banner” followed in 1933. Vock took on publishing, editorial and organisational responsibilities, becoming known as “Mammina”. She helped keep the publication alive through financial difficulties and public hostility.
Its changing titles reflect the movement’s efforts to survive and define itself. As women’s participation declined, Karl Meier, who used the name “Rolf”, took over the publication in 1942. It subsequently became “Der Kreis”, a predominantly male magazine with an international readership, which continued until 1967.
Vock remained connected to the movement until her death in 1962. Remembering her work also restores the lesbian networks behind a publication more often associated with gay men. Her contribution lay in the practical work of sustaining a community as much as in the articles it produced.