LGBTQ History Month: Dutch gay man fied the Nazis and saved thoands :: Bay Area Reporter

gay dutch resistance fighter

After the War, You Have to Tell Everyone About the Dutch Gay Ristance Fighters: Directed by Kls Müller. Many members of the Dutch Unrground were gay and lbian. This film pays homage to them and reunts their story." data-id="ma

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THE STORY OF WILLEM ARON, THE GAY MAN WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE TO PROTECT DUTCH JEWS FROM THE NAZIS

Willem Aron is often referred to as the gay ristance fighter. This always puzzled me bee I don't know why his sexual orientatn would bear any relevance to the brave acts he did. Willem Aron was a Dutch ristance fighter who gave his life tryg to protect his Jewish untrymen om the Nazis. Willem Aron… * gay dutch resistance fighter *

The Story Of Willem Aron, The Gay Man Who Sacrificed His Life To Protect Dutch Jews From The Nazis. But Willem Aron, an openly gay man, had no illns about what the Nazi occupatn would mean for people like him.

AMSTERDAM ‘STUMBLG STON’ MEMORATE GAY VICTIMS OF NAZIS

After the War, You Have to Tell Everyone About the Dutch Gay Ristance Fighters: Directed by Kls Müller. Many members of the Dutch Unrground were gay and lbian. This film pays homage to them and reunts their story." data-id="ma * gay dutch resistance fighter *

And the years that followed, Aron’ legacy as a gay revolutnary was nearly lost to time. But Aron’ relatnship wh his fay terrated when he me out as gay at the age of 17.

Though some Dutch people uneasily accepted the Nazi occupatn, Willem Aron unrstood the threat that he and other mori faced — pecially when the Nazis re-crimalized homosexualy, which had been legal the Netherlands sce 1811. On March 27, 1943, Aron and 15 other men marched up to the Cizen Registratn Buildg wearg fake uniforms that a iend of Aron, a gay tailor, had ma. Shortly before his ath, he relayed some of his fal words to his lawyer: “Let be known that homosexuals are not wards.

Only recent years has he gotten his due as a gay ristance fighter.

THE GAY HOLOT HERO: WILLEM ARON

Many members of the Dutch Unrground were gay and lbian. This film pays homage to them and reunts their story. * gay dutch resistance fighter *

Though his story is ltle-known today, Willem Aron left behd a powerful legacy as an openly gay man and ristance fighter.

More than 75 years after they were murred the gas chambers or shot, gay victims of Nazi persecutn were remembered wh “stumblg ston” laid Amsterdam this Netherlands has about 8, 500 Stolperstee, (stumblg ston), the brass memorial plaqu embedd the street that ll on passers-by to remember dividual victims of the Nazi genoci and opprsn, a mental “stumblg” that forc pestrians to reckon wh the ston laid this week are the first the Netherlands to memorate Jews and ristance fighters who were known to be gay, acrdg to the Dutch historian Judh Schuyf, who played a leadg role the project. “There was always a discsn the Netherlands that gays and lbians hadn’t been really persecuted the war, ” she said.

LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH: DUTCH GAY MAN FIED THE NAZIS AND SAVED THOANDS

After the War, You Have to Tell Everyone About the Dutch Gay Ristance Fighters (1996) st and crew creds, cludg actors, actrs, directors, wrers and more. * gay dutch resistance fighter *

She knew otherwise, havg intified several Jews and ristance fighters, who were intified as gay or lbian police fil. “They were arrted bee they were gay; they were sent to the mps bee they were Jewish, ” she said. It is plited but I am que sure they were arrted bee they were gay.

Her police file stat she was “ tentn for homosexualy … also Jewish”. Altogether, ne gay victims of Nazi persecutn are beg remembered. About 102, 000 were murred ath mps and 2, 000 mted suici or died attemptg to activists believe gay victims have been overlooked.

From a young age, he was a talented artist and his parents enuraged his creativy, until he me out as homosexual at age 17. In a time when nearly all gay people were the closet, Willem’s parents uld not accept his choice to live openly.

GAY HISTORY – JULY 1943: GAY WWII RISTANCE FIGHTER WILLEM ARON EXECUTED BY THE NAZIS: “LET BE KNOWN THAT HOMOSEXUALS ARE NOT WARDS!”

The cy of Amsterdam is to honor the memori of ne gay and lbian ristance fighters who lost their liv batg the Nazi occupatn of the Netherlands durg World War II. At the iative of historian Judh Schuyf, who has been rearchg the bgraphi of the ristance fighters — all of whom were Jews — * gay dutch resistance fighter *

Willem’s last words before beg executed July, 1943 were, “Let be known that homosexuals are not wards. Often emed the birthplace of LGBT rights, Amsterdam crimalized homosexualy 1811, but rtrictive l still barred homosexualy the early 20th century. In 1911, the lg polil parti the Netherlands raised the age of �nsent for homosexual activy to 21 — even though the age of nsent for heterosexual activy remaed at a more permissive 16.

Although the first gay bar the Netherlands would open s doors �soon afterward, the rtrictive age lgs, along wh laws agast public cency, were ed to unfairly target gay the laws did not timidate Aron.

AFTER THE WAR, YOU HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE DUTCH GAY RISTANCE FIGHTERS

* gay dutch resistance fighter *

He refed to supprs his inty as a gay man, and he left home at age 17, severg ti wh his fay. He wrote about beg kicked out of apartments bee he was gay, there was no protectn.

Upon their occupatn of the Netherlands at the start of the 1940s, the Germans brought wh them Paragraph 175 — a law first troduced by Hler Germany an effort to cleanse the untry of homosexual activy. The lg, which began by expellg any gay and lbian anizatns Germany, was revised to make homosexual activy between men punishable by imprisonment.

AFTER THE WAR, YOU HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE DUTCH GAY RISTANCE FIGHTERS

Even the slightt evince uld land them behd bars, and Paragraph 175 saw �over 100, 000 German men arrted for homosexual activy and 50, 000 imprisoned.

Over the urse of the Nazi era, between 5, 000 and 15, 000 gay men were sent to ncentratn mps. Marked as homosexual by pk triangle badg, the men were btally abed, and many unrwent experimental medil treatments allegedly aimed at "curg" their sexualy.

AFTER THE WAR, YOU HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE DUTCH GAY RISTANCE FIGHTERS

Frieda Belfante, an openly gay woman who fought alongsi Aron the ristance and participated the bombg plan, said that while they both knew their liv were at risk if they were ught, they also knew they had to rry out this missn. Some were able to flee the untry, but exactly three months later, Aron and 12 others — cludg two other gay men — were led up before a firg squad and executed.

A legacy overshadowedThough the bombg of the Amsterdam registry buildg was wily regard after the Holot as a lifavg moment history, tn about the heroic event erased Aron's learship bee he was, while his fay did receive a posthumo medal of honor for Aron's sacrific, the homophobia that persisted throughout the 1950s and 1960s prevented LGBT war hero like Aron om gettg the regnn they served.

"Homosexuals are not wards.

RETIRED GENERAL: GAYS WEAKENED DUTCH ARMY

An openly gay man and a tirels member of the Dutch ristance agast the Nazi occupatn of the Netherlands, he willgly sacrificed his life for a missn that ultimately protected hundreds of thoands of Jews' liv. Often emed the birthplace of LGBTQ rights, the Netherlands crimalized homosexualy 1811, but rtrictive l still barred homosexualy the early 20th century.

In 1911, the beliefs of the lg polil parti led to the age of nsent for homosexualy to be changed to 21 the Netherlands — spe the age for heterosexualy remag at 16.

Dpe the first gay bar openg s doors durg this time, the rtrictive age lgs, along wh other laws agast public cency, were ed to unfairly target gay men.

DUTCH GAY MAN FIED THE NAZIS AND SAVED THOANDS

He refed to supprs his inty as a gay man, leavg home that year at age 17 and severg ti wh his fay. "Though Aron was foced on fendg the safety of the Dutch Jews, he and other LGBTQ cizens also saw the imment threat of the Nazis to their their occupatn of the Netherlands at the start of the 1940s, the Germans brought wh them Paragraph 175 — a law first troduced by Adolf Hler Germany an effort to cleanse the untry of homosexual activy.

GAY HISTORY – JULY 1943: GAY WWII RISTANCE FIGHTER WILLEM ARON EXECUTED BY THE NAZIS: “LET BE KNOWN THAT HOMOSEXUALS ARE NOT WARDS!”

The lg, which first began by expellg any gay and lbian anizatns Germany, was revised to make homosexual activy between men punishable by imprisonment.

Further, over the urse of the Nazi le, is timated that between 5, 000 and 15, 000 gay men were sent to ncentratn mps. Aron and the rt of his un nstcted their riskit plan yet: they would blow up the facily — along wh the hundreds of thoands of documents Belfante, an openly gay woman who fought alongsi Aron the ristance and participated the plan, said an old vio terview that while both of them knew the danger that would e if they were ught, each knew was necsary to rry out their missn. Though he attempted to take full rponsibily for the attack and refed to give the nam of his team, his notebook was found and many of the ntributors were were able to pe and flee the untry, but exactly three months later, Aron and 12 others — cludg two other gay men — were brought before a firg squad and executed.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY DUTCH RESISTANCE FIGHTER

LGBTQ History Month: Dutch gay man fied the Nazis and saved thoands :: Bay Area Reporter .

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