Shared by: Wipe Out Homophobia (WHOF)
In 1928 there was an estimated 1.2 million “out” homosexual men living in Germany. As Adolf Hitler rose in power, gay organizations were banned and scholarly books regarding homosexuality were burned. Hitler’s racial state ideology branded homosexuals not only as “parasites” and degenerates, but as enemies of the state. In 1935, the Nazi government significantly expanded the criminalization of homosexuality.
Under the direction of SS head, police drew up “Pink Lists”, and embarked on a vicious crackdown on homosexual men and women. Many were sent to mental hospitals, others were castrated by court order, and 100,000 of these men were sent to concentration camps. The pink triangle (now a symbol of Gay Pride) was placed on the prisoners to mark that they were homosexuals. An estimated 55,000 were executed
Heinz Dormer, spent nearly ten years in prisons and concentration camps. He spoke of the “haunting agonizing cries” from “the singing forest”, a row of tall poles on which condemned men were hung: “Everyone who was sentenced to death would be lifted up onto the hook. The howling and screaming were inhuman…Beyond human comprehension.”
Color | Description Of Badge Worn |
Yellow | (Star of David) Jewish. This symbol was used prior to the camps in the ghettos and when Jews were in the general population |
Pink | Gay men convicted under Paragraphs 174, 175 and 176 of the Reich Penal Code |
Purple | Jehovah’s Witnesses |
Red | Political prisoners |
Black | Antisocial/Romany |
Green | Criminals |
Silent shame
Apology
However, it wasn’t until December 2000 that an actual apology came. The German government issued an apology for the prosecution of homosexuals in Germany after 1949 & agreed to recognize gays as victims of the Third Reich. Survivors were finally encouraged to come forwards & claim compensation for their treatment during the Holocaust (although claims had to be registered before the end of 2001).
The Geneva-based aid agency, International Organization for Migration (IOM) was responsible for the introducing & handling the claims.
On May 17th 2002, the process was completed as thousands of homosexuals, who suffered under the Reich, were officially pardoned by the German government. About 50,000 gay men were included. German justice minister Hertha Daeubler-Gmelin told parliament, “We all know that our decisions today are more than 50 years late, they are necessary nonetheless. We owe it to the victims of wrongful Nazi justice.” A memorial to the homosexuals who died in Nazi concentration camps was unveiled in May 2008 opposite the main Holocaust memorial for Jewish victims in Tiergarten Park in Berlin.
WE MUST NEVER FORGET
The Gay Holocaust,