The Persecution of Homosexuals under the Nazi Regime in Germany

 Günter Grau delivers a lecture on one of the darkest chapters in the European history of homosexuality started as the Nazis came to power in January 1933. Over 50 000 homosexual men were convicted and thousands were deported to concentration camps during the 12 years of the Nazi regime. The lecture highlights the main aspects of Nazi policies, points out to its objectives, the most important laws, regulations, and secret orders as well as details of the investigation procedure the Gestapo used. It also discusses whether policies were directed against all homosexual men or only against certain groups of them. The lecture examines those men’s living conditions who did not end up in the machinery of persecution, and policies regarding lesbian women.

This lecture opens the LGBT+ History month at CEU.

About:

Günter Grau, Ph.D. historian. He worked at the research institutes for the history of medicine at the Free University of Berlin and Leipzig University. He is currently member of the Research Department for the History of Sexology at the Magnus Hirschfeld Society in Berlin. His research focuses on the linkages among theories of sexuality, sexual behaviors, and social judgments. He published a number of scientific articles, authored several book chapters, encyclopedia paragraphs, and book reviews. He edited the book “Encyclopedia on Persecution of Homosexuals, 1933-1945" in 2011.