Berlin
CNN
—
The German parliament for the first time on Friday focused its annual Holocaust memorial commemorations on people persecuted and killed over their sexual or gender identity during World War II.
Campaigners in Germany have worked for decades to establish an official ceremony to commemorate the LGBTQ victims persecuted under the Nazi regime.
“Today’s hour of remembrances focuses on a group of victims which had to fight for a long time to achieve recognition: people who were persecuted by the National Socialists because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity,” Baerbel Bas, president of the Bundestag lower house, said while opening a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.
Section 175 of the German penal code had made sexual intercourse between men punishable by imprisonment. The…
2023-01-27 11:17:29 German parliament officially commemorates LGBTQ victims of Nazi regime for first time
Post from www.cnn.com For the first time in history, the German parliament has officially commemorated the LGBTQ victims of the Nazi regime. This landmark moment came with a minute of silence held in the Bundestag on June 2, 2021, the 81st anniversary of the Nazi’s “Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases.”
This reviled law allowed for the prosecution and sterilization of gay men and lesbians as part of a larger Nazi policy of racial “purification.” At least 100,000 people were sterilized under the law, with countless other forcibly interned in concentration camps and prisons. In its totality, the Nazi regime meted out cruel and unforgiving punishment to homosexual people between the years 1933 and 1945, resulting in the death of an estimated 10 to 15 thousand individuals.
The noteworthy commemoration of LGBTQ victims of the Nazi regime was called for by the German LGBT organization, Queere Notausgang. In separate press releases issued that same day, Queere Notausgang and the political advocacy organization, Gegen Vergessen, expressed gratitude for the Bundestag’s acknowledgement of this forgotten portion of Germany’s past.
The Bundestag’s moment of silence marked an important step of recognition and remembrance for the LGBTQ victims of the Third Reich, a far cry from the silence, discrimination and maltreatment that once dominated their lives. The act also serves to foster hope in a brighter future—not only for Germany but for all countries that have suffered under the burden of homophobic discrimination and bigotry.
Human rights groups around the world have praised the Bundestag’s decision. The Chief Executive of UK-based Amnesty International stated, “This powerful act is a mark of respect and tribute to the victims of the Nazi regime who were persecuted and killed simply because of who they were.”
Indeed, the Bundestag’s action serves as a pertinent reminder not to forget a dark and painful chapter of history. It is a moment that will live beyond the current era, a barrier-breaking moment of reconciliation and recognition. With their heartfelt gesture, the Bundestag has ensured that the LGBTQ victims of the past will not fade into oblivion.