The Pk Triangle: From Nazi Label to Symbol of Gay Pri | HISTORY

Contents:

• LGBT HISTORY MONTH: A TIME TO REMEMBER NAZI PERSECUTN OF GAY PEOPLE
• GAY PEOPLE
• THE PK TRIANGLE: FROM NAZI LABEL TO SYMBOL OF GAY PRI
• HOLOT MEMORIAL DAY: THE NAZI BID TO EXTERMATE GAY PEOPLE

LGBT HISTORY MONTH: A TIME TO REMEMBER NAZI PERSECUTN OF GAY PEOPLE

Each year, Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr (LGBT) History Month is marked Febary as a time to celebrate and remember the muny’s past as a means to unrstand the prent and work towards a better future. ‘If I fally speak, ’s for people to know what we homosexuals had to endure Hler’s days… shouldn’t happen aga, ’ said Rudolf Brazda, the last known livg homosexual survivor of the Nazi ncentratn mps, who died Augt 2011. Whout a doubt, one of the darkt perds of LGBT history was durg the Send World War when gay people across Nazi-occupied terrory were subjected to persecutn simply bee of their sexual orientatn.

Given the social stigma of homosexualy at this time, the badge marked the prisoners out for particularly cel treatment not jt om the mp guards, but also their fellow mat.

GAY PEOPLE

Many were beaten to ath, while others were the subjects of vile experiments as Nazi scientists attempted to solve the ‘problem’ of homosexualy orr to achieve the genics-based dream of a te Aryan society. One study om Ruediger Ltmann found that this harsh treatment of gay men ncentratn mps meant that they experienced a higher rate of ath when pared to other imprisoned groups.

THE PK TRIANGLE: FROM NAZI LABEL TO SYMBOL OF GAY PRI

Those homosexual prisoners who ped immediate tentn by their liberators had to fall silent about their ncentratn mp experienc and stead vise new stori to expla their rceratn to avoid beg taken to ctody. Although the horrors of the Third Reich’s persecutn of gay men are now wily known, the social and legal circumstanc post-1945 meant that their plight was largely fotten and left unregnised the war’s immediate aftermath.

HOLOT MEMORIAL DAY: THE NAZI BID TO EXTERMATE GAY PEOPLE

The reparatns and state pensns ma available to other survivors of the Holot and Nazi persecutn of other groups were nied to homosexuals, and nor uld they expect the same support works to be there for them.

It would not be until 1968 East Germany and 1969 Wt Germany when homosexuals uld be safe om prosecutn and beg to talk of their experienc to ensure their stori would bee a val chapter LGBT history. The pk triangle ed to shame homosexuals and mark them for discrimatn the ncentratn mps was appropriated by the LGBT muny, verted to pot upwards and ed as a symbol for this new movement. Neverthels, the experienc of LGBT muni around the globe rema turbulent, and many gay people still have to live wh the realy of persecutn.

It has been reported that vlent homophobia is on the rise Rsia, and there has been a huge furore surroundg the Sochi 2014 Wter Olympics and the host natn’s recent anti-homosexual legislatn. The anti-gay fervour is far om wang too, wh Nigeria and Uganda both rampg up their legislatn by outlawg gay rights advocy and signs of affectn between same-sex upl.

While there is growg equaly for homosexuals Europe and the Ameris, rearch om Stonewall has found that one six people Bra who are gay, lbian or bisexual have experienced a hate crime or cint the last three years.

This year LGBT groups have regnised the importance of the experience of homosexuals unr Nazi persecutn through holdg activi to mark Holot Memorial Day (HMD). You n read about the journeys of Gad Beck, Pierre Seel, Rudolf Brazda and Albrecht Becker, while the movg documentary Paragraph 175 chronicl the liv of several gay men imprisoned by the Third Reich. Berl particular was one of the most liberal ci Europe wh a number of lbian, gay and trans anisatns, fés, bars, publitns and cultural events takg place.

Magn Hirschfeld’s Instute for Sexual Science led the world s scientific approach to sexual diversy and acted as an important public centre for Berl lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr life.