LGBTQ+ Individuals and the Holocaust
Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust Book Talk
Dr. Newsome tells the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community’s original pride symbol by tracing the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge into a widespread emblem of queer liberation, pride, and community. Drawing from unexplored archival sources and original interviews, Dr. Newsome showcases the voices of LGBTQ+ Holocaust victims and a rich tapestry of queer lives who found meaning in the pink triangle in a post-Holocaust world.
This event was recorded on January 26th, 2023, and was hosted by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Repair the World Pittsburgh, and the University of Pittsburgh Jewish Studies Program.
Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust
Dr. Newsome tells the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community’s original pride symbol by tracing the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge into a widespread emblem of queer liberation, pride, and community. Drawing from unexplored archival sources and original interviews, Dr. Newsome showcases the voices of LGBTQ+ Holocaust victims and a rich tapestry of queer lives who found meaning in the pink triangle in a post-Holocaust world.
Pride Profiles by the Holocaust Center Of Pittsburgh
While the largest group targeted for extermination, Jews were not the only victims of the Nazis. Gay individuals were one of the many groups that were targeted by the Nazi regime. During Pride month, we are eager to share some of the stories of LGBTQ victims and survivors of the Holocaust whose stories may be less well-known.
We encourage you to peruse the biographies of some of the LGBTQ individuals who endured the Holocaust, and learn more about the unique ways that they were impacted by Nazi persecution. Their bravery and fearless individuality is an inspiration to us all.
Honoring LGBTQ+ Pride Month through Testimony
By the USC Shoah Foundation
“In commemoration of Pride Month, the Institute recognizes the LGBTQ+ people persecuted under the Nazis from as early as 1933 to the end of the war in 1945, some of whose stories are in the Institute’s Visual History Archive.They are stories of survival, resistance, rescue, and heartbreaking loss. Some of the witnesses were targeted by the Nazis for being gay under the German penal code, Paragraph 175. Other witnesses recall their encounters with gay men and women who provided rescue and aid at great risk to their own lives.”
Gay Men and Lesbians Under the Nazi Regime
By USHMM
“The Nazi regime harassed and targeted gay men and lesbians by banning their organizations, shuttering their presses, and raiding and closing their meeting places. The Nazi regime’s actions effectively destroyed the networks and communities that gay men and lesbians had established before the Nazis came to power. For gay men, harrassment worsened over the course of the 1930s, eventually turning into brutal persecution. Beginning in 1935, the Nazi regime used a revised version of Paragraph 175 to arrest large numbers of men accused of having sexual relations with other men. Some of these men were sent to concentration camps as “homosexual” (“homosexuell”). Learn more by exploring the articles in this series.”