Equality Forum Examines Gay and Lesbian Life from the Pink Triangles of Nazi Germany to Equality
By Emily A. Cheramie

The history and progress of the homosexual community in Germany from World War II to present was the topic of Equality Forum's "From Pink Triangle to Equality" panel held Thursday. Harold Goldman, the first openly gay president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, moderated the panel which included the Honorable Volker Beck, a member of the German Bundestag; Dr. Jennifer Evans, professor of Modern German History at Carleton University; Dr. Geoffrey Giles, professor of European History at the University of Florida; and Thomas Niederbuehl, a Munich city councilman.

As part of the Nazis' attempt to purify German society and promulgate an "Aryan master race," they condemned homosexuals as "socially aberrant." Upon his rise to power, Hitler outlawed all homosexual organizations, raiding institutions and gathering places and forcing the community underground.

Paragraph 175 of the German Criminal Code, originally framed in 1871 and revised in 1935, made "lewd and lascivious" behavior by men punishable by law. Under the revised edition the number of prosecutions increased sharply.

"The Gestapo vigorously pursued homosexuals," said Geoffrey Giles. "Six to seven were brought in daily and this was three years before the war even started."

According to Volker Beck it was an unparalleled prosecution of gays and lesbians. In 1928 an estimated 1.2 million homosexuals were living in Germany. There were 100,000 arrests in the years that followed. Ten thousand suspects were killed and 2,500 were castrated for being "sex offenders," according to Giles.

"This was state sponsored homophobia that was encouraged by the police but built on already existing public opinion. One half of the cases were initiated by uninvolved third parties," said Giles, "with confessions of illegal acts obtained by the use of threats, force and other unfair tactics."

The vast majority of homosexual victims were males. While lesbian establishments were closed, few were prosecuted because, according to Beck, "the police could not quite figure out what women did with each other."

Many men convicted under Paragraph 175 during the war went directly from prison to concentration camps. Jennifer Evans said few political organizations opposed Paragraph 175 but none had the power to do anything.

Beck then changed the focus of the panel's discussion, saying that after two decades of social policy characterized by discrimination Germany changed their views and began installing new traditions.

"After the war, homosexual prisoners were not acknowledged as victims of Nazi persecution," said Beck.

According the Beck, the situation improved during the 80s when gay and lesbian working groups were first established. Only as a result of German unification did substantial changes take place at the national level.

"The reputations of the homosexual Nazi victims were not restored until 2002 when Parliament explicitly apologized to homosexuals," he said. "In recent years Germany has made great progress in extending rights to gays and lesbians."

Responding to an audience question, Giles pointed out that the German government had no way of knowing how many men were prosecuted during Hitler's reign. Files were destroyed deliberately.

"Those prosecuted did not come forward post-war because of the stigmas. Most are now dead," said Giles.

Bringing the audience attention to the present day, Niederbuehl said, "It was a hard, hard struggle; but in the end we won."

In 1989 gays and lesbians of Germany started their own political party: Rosa Liste ("Pink List"). A few years later the party won a seat in Parliament with 1.8 percent of the vote.
With that information, applause erupted from the audience.

"For seven years now there has been a steady increase in gay visibility. We have been established as a political force and we have power," said Niederbuehl. "Society has changed, but we have changed too."

Beck responded, saying he thinks it is paramount that the gay and lesbian community succeeds in imbedding the gay movement into every political party in Germany:
"In Germany we now need complete equality. That is simply a question of honor."

Niederbuehl agreed and concluded the evening's discussion. "If we really want to live equally, we have to act locally and change society from the bottom to the top."