Homosexuals and the Holocaust

Essay # 58351

Gender and Sexuality > Homosexuality
History > European - 20th Century
History > European - World Wars

Examines the fact that so few people are aware of the suffering of homosexuals at the hands of the Nazis.

1,118 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2003 United States

Paper Summary:

Nearly everyone knows what is meant by the term "the Holocaust" and about the horrors faced by the Jews inside and outside of concentration camps during this time. There are, however, other facets to this nightmare of history about which relatively few people seem aware. This paper argues that homosexuals, who wore the pink triangles and who were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in Hitler's concentration camps, are entitled to the same attention from historians, researchers, and the general public.

From the Paper:

"An informal survey conducted by the author revealed that while all respondents were familiar with the concept of the Holocaust and knew that Jews were among the persecuted, only 2% had heard of or read about homosexual involvement. Statistics such as these are somewhat surprising, considering that as early as 1933, years before mass numbers of Jews were interred in concentration camps, homosexuals were a principal category of prisoners in Sachsenhausen, Dachau, and Buchenwald. Among the first citizens arrested after Hitler was elected chancellor were directors of homosexual rights organizations (Friedman)."