Klaus Wowereit
Klaus Wowereit (born October 1, 1953 in Berlin) is a German politician, member of the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany), and currently mayor of Berlin (since 2001).
Until 1973, Klaus Wowereit attended the Ulrich-von-Hutten-Oberschule in Berlin. Afterwards, he studied law at the Free University Berlin (State Exams, 1981 and 1984). At the age of 31, he was the youngest city councilor of Berlin. From 1984-95 he was municipal councillor in the Tempelhof borough of Berlin, and, since December 1999, chairman of the SPD party in Berlin. Since June 2001 he has served as mayor of Berlin.
Wowereit is one of the most famous German politicians who has openly declared himself to be homosexual. In coming out, prior to the 2001 mayoral elections, he coined the now famous German phrase "Ich bin schwul, und das ist auch gut so." (literally: "I am gay, and that's a good thing"; a more correct translation would be: "I am Gay, and that's ok.").