Pride Month: The Nazi Persecution of Gay People

Jun 3, 2020 • Before the Nazis came to power, Berlin was home to a vibrant gay community. Within weeks of their rise in March 1933, the Nazis drove this population underground and waged a violent campaign against homosexuality. Over the next 12 years, more than 100,000 men were arrested for violating Germany's law against "unnatural indecency among men.” During this time, proof was often not required to convict an individual. Some were sent to concentration camps and subjected to hard labor, cruelty, and even medical experiments aimed at “curing” them. Moderator: Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Speaker: Dr. Jake Newsome, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

In ewiger Erinnerung: Mögen die im Dritten Reich verfolgten Homosexuellen—in den Vorkriegsjahren, während des Krieges selber, und sogar bis 1969, als der Paragraph 175 schließlich abgeschafft wurde—in Frieden sein. Sie haben kein Verbrechen begangen. Sie wurden geschlagen, gefoltert und getötet umsonst, nur weil sie einen anderen Menschen liebten. Das ist die Tragödie. Ruhe in Frieden. – © Mark