A memorial Berl, Germany was recently unveiled memory of gay victims of the Holot. Volker Beck, a member of the German parliament and supporter of the memorial, explas what the memorial symboliz for members of the gay holot survivors and their fai.
Contents:
- THREE GAY HOLOT SURVIVORS REMEMBER
- THE BARELY REMEMBERED GAY VICTIMS OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATN CAMPS
- GAY HOLOT MEMORIAL HONORS PA, SACRIFICE
THREE GAY HOLOT SURVIVORS REMEMBER
Tens of thoands of gay men and lbians were persecuted by the Nazis but stigma and a lack of rearch fundg has kept their history hidn. * gay victims of the holocaust *
” Wh the words his 1994 memoir, Pierre Seel—one of the few gay Holot survivors to publicly share his experience—scribed his arrival at the Schirmeck-Vorbrück ncentratn mp on May 13, 1941. Havg been arrted on acunt of his homosexualy Nazi-occupied France, Seel was terrogated, tortured and forced to watch his lover beg mled by a pack of dogs—all before he’d even turned 18. Wh the Natnal Socialist visn, homosexualy reprented an sid “threat” to the “Aryan” race’s survival that need to be stamped out.
Although male homosexual activy had been technilly illegal Germany sce the 19th century, was generally tolerated and even celebrated wh certa urban circl prr to Adolf Hler’s ascensn to power 1933.
Weimar-era Berl me to be labeled as the “gay pal of the world, ” a cy where a boomg queer nightlife scene was wedd wh the buddg dissematn of new amic ias llg for greater acceptance of homosexualy and genr non-nformy. Realizg the power the movements held, the Nazis began their anti-gay purg by immediately targetg the very hubs of queer cultural productn and kship, namely clubs, societi and Magn Hirschfield’s renowned sexology rearch stute.
THE BARELY REMEMBERED GAY VICTIMS OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATN CAMPS
The Nazi-era modifitns would amount to a ath sentence for gay men, and hnt them for years to e. Unr Paragraph 175’s aegis, police forc arrted approximately 100, 000 gay men before the war me to an end, of whom around 10-15, 000 were sent to ncentratn mps.
Overall prospects for gay prisoners were poor: an timated 65% died, and an unknown, albe likely disproportnate, number mted suici. But, tragilly, gay Holot survivors did not leave their mps as regnized victims. Get your history fix one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter The Nazi-era amendments to Paragraph 175 were mataed for over two s Wt Germany, rultg the arrt of around 100, 000 gay men between 1945 and 1969, wh some Holot survivors even beg forced to rry out their sentenc prison.
While East Germany had softer penalti, no reparatns were provid for gay victims, and Paragraph 175 self would only be entirely removed om the penal 1994, followg Germany’s rnifitn. Wh time, we’ve e to learn about the “pk triangl” ed by the Nazis to intify homosexual mp mat, but not of the “pk lists” of gay men’s nam—lists that were also piled by Wt German officials. Facg wispread homophobia and cut off om support works—which the Nazis themselv had stroyed—gay Holot survivors stayed silent out of fear of social and legal repercsns.
GAY HOLOT MEMORIAL HONORS PA, SACRIFICE
Even France, where homosexual activy was technilly legal, Pierre Seel hid his story for years behd an unhappy marriage, wh horrific nsequenc for his mental health. Shirer’s 1, 245-page The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, published 1960, left out any reference to the Nazis’ anti-gay purg. All of this don’t even to beg to addrs the Nazi-era opprsn of queer women and tersex dividuals, whose experienc have been overshadowed by the double layer of homophobia and sexism.
Lbian women, for stance, may not have been systematilly persecuted unr the Third Reich, as Paragraph 175 only targeted gay men, but that did not ter the Nazis om shuttg down their clubs or arrtg them for “anti-socialy.
It was not until the 1970s that gay Holot victims would start speakg out and receivg public acknowledgement, wh the first ttimony g om Josef Kohout 1972, followed by Pierre Seel’s own memoir, published 1994. Wh the last known Holot survivor tried for homosexualy, Rudolf Brazda, havg died ten years ago, is now cumbent upon to rry on the torch of this lost generatn—lt we too end up beg plic s erasure. The groups clud Pol, Soviets, Roma, polil prisoners, disabled people, crimals, Jehovah’s Wns and those seen as homosexuals.