GAY NEWS
Berlin Memorial To Gay Holocaust Victims Vandalized—Again
By L. K. Regan
Published Dec 18, 2008
Published Dec 18, 2008
In May of this year, the German government unveiled a memorial to gay men killed in the Holocaust, set in Berlin's central Tiergarten Park, opposite the Jewish Holocaust Memorial. This week, that memorial was vandalized for the second time. The repeated attacks on the Tiergarten memorial speak to German society's unresolved relationship to the experience of gays in the Holocaust.
The Berlin memorial consists of a four meter-tall block of concrete with a small window on one side. Through the glass, visitors can see a black-and-white film of two men kissing (a still from that film is the image accompanying this article). An inscription says, "A simple kiss could get you in trouble." Earlier this week, the glass protecting the film was smashed in. In August of this year, the same act of vandalism was enacted against the memorial, indicating, in a no-doubt unintentional act of irony, the truth of the inscription.
The Holocaust's impact on the Jewish population of Europe is better known than the fate of gays under the Nazis, but Hitler's regime was profoundly homophobic, and gays were relentlessly persecuted. In Nazi Germany, gays and lesbians were registered on police lists, called "pink lists"; as many as 100,000 men were registered as gay, and of those as many as 15,000 spent time in concentration camps. How many died there is a matter of dispute, but estimates circle around 10,000.
The problems for Germany's gay men were far from over after Hitler, however, a fact that the Berlin monument acknowledges. A plaque in front of the monument gives both an overview of Nazi persecution of gay men, and an account of Paragraph 175. Paragraph 175 made homosexuality illegal in 1871; it was broadened under Nazism to allow deportation of gay men to concentration camps. The law was separately revised in East and West Germany, but persisted in both states. It was only completely revoked in 1994 after German reunification. In 2002, the German government formally pardoned all gay people convicted by the Nazis and in 2003 approved the plan for the Berlin memorial.
The Berlin memorial is not Germany's only monument to gay victims of the Nazis, but it is one of the most symbolically potent. At the memorial's unveiling in May, the International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA) issued a statement pointing out the importance of the monument's location: "It is in the centre of the city from where decades ago the policies of extermination of homosexual people along with such groups as Jews, gypsies, Jehovah's witnesses and political dissidents, was conceived and the deadly orders were given." This central placement was an effort to end the traditional peripheralization of the stories of gay victims of Nazi atrocities, who continued to be persecuted after the war, and who are largely left out of traditional historical accounts of the Holocaust. As Berlin mayor Klaus Wowerit, who happens to be the city's first openly gay mayor, pointed out when the memorial was first opened, the placement of this monument in the center of Berlin was meant to form a contrast with the Nazis, who were "a society that did not abolish unjust verdicts, but partially continued to implement them; a society which did not acknowledge a group of people as victims, only because they chose another way of life."
Clearly the symbolic placement of the memorial is viewed negatively by some, who persist in vandalizing it. Still, as a solid block of concrete the memorial also symbolizes the solid strength and persistence of those who refuse to be beaten down by bigotry, no matter how often it appears.
The Berlin memorial consists of a four meter-tall block of concrete with a small window on one side. Through the glass, visitors can see a black-and-white film of two men kissing (a still from that film is the image accompanying this article). An inscription says, "A simple kiss could get you in trouble." Earlier this week, the glass protecting the film was smashed in. In August of this year, the same act of vandalism was enacted against the memorial, indicating, in a no-doubt unintentional act of irony, the truth of the inscription.
The Holocaust's impact on the Jewish population of Europe is better known than the fate of gays under the Nazis, but Hitler's regime was profoundly homophobic, and gays were relentlessly persecuted. In Nazi Germany, gays and lesbians were registered on police lists, called "pink lists"; as many as 100,000 men were registered as gay, and of those as many as 15,000 spent time in concentration camps. How many died there is a matter of dispute, but estimates circle around 10,000.
The problems for Germany's gay men were far from over after Hitler, however, a fact that the Berlin monument acknowledges. A plaque in front of the monument gives both an overview of Nazi persecution of gay men, and an account of Paragraph 175. Paragraph 175 made homosexuality illegal in 1871; it was broadened under Nazism to allow deportation of gay men to concentration camps. The law was separately revised in East and West Germany, but persisted in both states. It was only completely revoked in 1994 after German reunification. In 2002, the German government formally pardoned all gay people convicted by the Nazis and in 2003 approved the plan for the Berlin memorial.
The Berlin memorial is not Germany's only monument to gay victims of the Nazis, but it is one of the most symbolically potent. At the memorial's unveiling in May, the International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA) issued a statement pointing out the importance of the monument's location: "It is in the centre of the city from where decades ago the policies of extermination of homosexual people along with such groups as Jews, gypsies, Jehovah's witnesses and political dissidents, was conceived and the deadly orders were given." This central placement was an effort to end the traditional peripheralization of the stories of gay victims of Nazi atrocities, who continued to be persecuted after the war, and who are largely left out of traditional historical accounts of the Holocaust. As Berlin mayor Klaus Wowerit, who happens to be the city's first openly gay mayor, pointed out when the memorial was first opened, the placement of this monument in the center of Berlin was meant to form a contrast with the Nazis, who were "a society that did not abolish unjust verdicts, but partially continued to implement them; a society which did not acknowledge a group of people as victims, only because they chose another way of life."
Clearly the symbolic placement of the memorial is viewed negatively by some, who persist in vandalizing it. Still, as a solid block of concrete the memorial also symbolizes the solid strength and persistence of those who refuse to be beaten down by bigotry, no matter how often it appears.
Rayosun wrote:
A church which deludes itself into believing that it is "a billion member" strong will always have people like lil_bear_yooper to defend its HORRENDOUS role in the Nazi holocaust and to attack instead those who would EXPOSE that record.
It's amusing to watch that church claims so many members when it BENEFITS the church but to DENY members when they are no longer useful. Consider the fact that it NEVER excommunicated any of the numerous Roman Catholic leaders of the Third Reich when those people were IN POWER, but now wants everybody to believe that they divorced them from the start. To see the best expose of the R.C. church Google "RCscandal" and explore the fruits of the extensive work I've been doing for years to discover and publicize THE TRUTH.
Dec 25 5:36 PM
ActiveAndFit wrote:
As far as what Klaus said, he was speaking about the rational that those who persecuted homosexuals thought, not what he himself believes. The significance of the persecution, before and after Germany's defeat, is that these seemingly insignificant anti-gay laws can be used in worse ways than you might think. I would recommend watching the documentary "paragraph 175" for a compelling story of those who survived. Berlin actually had a thriving gay community before the Nazi's started to crack down and apply laws fervently. The strategy of demonization, arguments, and lies in order to persecute various groups of people don't change much even to this day
here are some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph_175
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_persecution_of_homosexuals
Dec 24 4:53 AM
lil_bear_yooper wrote:
As one who is a Chrstian, I need to emphasise that true Chritians had never approved of the Holocaust. That is why so many Christians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Catholic Christians, European Jews, Gypsies, and gays were forced into concentration camps. Adolph Hilter was a who was dillusional and had imagined himself as the New God of the New World Order. Far from being a "devout" Catholic. Hilter would never consider any church hierarchy as his superiors. He was openly condemned by Catholic, Prostestant, Jewish, and other religious authorities from the local levels to high office. Hitler's expulsion was obvious and he's goal was to ruin all religions/denominations. He wanted to claim control then manipulate and control those institutions to dominate his rule over believers/followers. Religions, to Nazi Hitler, were symbols. He wanted to used them all.
How sick and sad it is to know that bigotry still rules supreme in USA by diseminating vile half-truths, fictional accusations, and blatant lies. I feel like one of those filthy little tracts printed by idolatrous preacher followers just got shamefully slipped under my door when I wasn't home. Like they are afraid of face to face connection with real people. Only thing missing is your white sheets and burning crosses. How sad to see that bashing is not reserved to the homohobe but includes the gay hating homosexual.
Dec 23 1:29 PM
NotThatOld wrote:
As one who is a Christian, I need to emphasise that true Christians had never approved of the Holocaust, whether it be against Jews, Gays, Jehovah's Witnesses or any other group. The Holocaust was approved by the Vatican, along with some Protestant Churches. It is noted that Adolf Hitler was a devout Roman Catholic, who believed in the truthfulness of the 1546-63 Council of Trent. The Holocaust was Trent put into practice. Jesus Christ once made a statement that many false prophets would kill, believing that they had done God's service. The Holocaust was one of Christ's prophecies fulfilled. It is nowhere taught by Christ or the Apostles anywhere in the New Testament.
Dec 20 12:11 AM
OutdoorAdventurist wrote:
The story quotes Klaus Wowerit, Berlin's present and first openly gay mayor, as saying that gay victims of the Holocaust were persecuted because "they chose another way of life." He and Bill Richardson must subscribe to the same journals of social theory, published by the fundamentalist Christian right. Or perhaps he is misquoted?
Dec 19 5:35 AM