Content warning  : This article deals with historical persecution, including imprisonment and forced medical procedures, and may be disturbing. It is intended to educate about human rights violations and their historical context.

During the Nazi era (1933–1945), homosexual men were severely persecuted under Paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code, which had criminalized male homosexuality since 1871. Despite a growing homosexual community in the Weimar Republic, the Nazis intensified their measures, viewing homosexual men as a threat to their ideology of “Aryan” purity and traditional family structures. Approximately 100,000 men were arrested, over 53,000 convicted, and many deported to concentration camps where they suffered horrific mistreatment. This analysis, based on sources such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and survivor accounts, examines the Nazi campaign against homosexual men, its mechanisms and impact, and promotes discussion about human rights and the dangers of discrimination.

Pre-National Socialist context and liberalization of the Weimar Republic

In the mid- to late 19th century, the first gay communities emerged in Germany, particularly in the cities. The Weimar Republic (1918–1933) offered relative openness; activists like Magnus Hirschfeld campaigned for the repeal of Paragraph 175, which prohibited homosexual acts between men. Gay bars and cultural meeting places flourished, but the legal risks remained.

The Nazi Party, which rose to power in the 1920s, rejected the decriminalization of homosexuality, viewing it as a deviation that undermined its racial and familial ideals. Nevertheless, there were figures within the party like Ernst Röhm, an SA leader and openly homosexual, which led to ideological contradictions.

Nazi seizure of power and first repressions

On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of the Reich, and the National Socialists began their campaign to destroy the gay community in the Weimar Republic. At the end of 1933, Reinhard Heydrich, deputy head of the Bavarian Political Police, ordered the creation of so-called “Pink Lists” under Heinrich Himmler’s direction, in order to identify homosexuals in major cities. Using these lists, raids on gay bars and mass arrests were carried out in 1934, targeting politically uninvolved men.

The Gestapo, as the political police, arrested suspects without trial. In 1933, courts introduced mandatory castration for certain offenders, initially requiring their consent. Men convicted under Paragraph 175 could be released early through voluntary castration, as was the case with Friedrich-Paul von Groszheim, who was arrested in 1934.

Escalation of persecution (1934–1936)

Three decisive events intensified the election campaign:

Röhm Purge (June–July 1934)  : The murder of Ernst Röhm and SA leaders during the Night of the Long Knives was partly justified by Nazi propaganda, which portrayed Röhm’s homosexuality as moral depravity.

Paragraph 175 Revision (June 1935)  : The law was extended to criminalize a wider range of homosexual acts, lowering the threshold of proof and increasing penalties.

Reich Central Office (1936)  : Himmler founded the Reich Central Office for Combating Homosexuality and Abortion, thereby centralizing efforts to suppress both as a threat to population growth.

In 1935/36, police raids against homosexual meeting places increased due to denunciations by neighbors, colleagues, or family members. Scholar Robert Moeller emphasizes that the regime exploited fear to isolate homosexual men.

Concentration camps and pink triangles

Homosexual men convicted under Paragraph 175 were deported to concentration camps such as Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald, which were marked with pink triangles. Between 5,000 and 15,000 of them were imprisoned and brutally treated. Accounts from survivors, such as that of Josef Kohout, who was arrested in March 1939 after his Christmas card to a lover was intercepted, describe sadistic abuse by SS guards, including beatings and murders during so-called “games.”

From November 1942, camp commandants could order forced castrations of prisoners marked with the pink triangle, often without their consent. Kohout, 24 years old at the time of his arrest, suffered this fate. Scholars estimate the number of arrests under Paragraph 175 at 100,000, with over 53,000 convictions—a testament to the scale of the campaign.

Post-war legacy and challenges

After Germany’s surrender in May 1945, many homosexual survivors continued to face stigmatization. Paragraph 175 remained in force in West Germany until 1969, and convictions were not overturned until the 1990s. Victims like Kohout received no compensation until the later reforms; Germany did not issue a formal apology until 2002.

The persecution decimated homosexual communities and destroyed the cultural achievements of the Weimar Republic. Memorials such as the Berlin Memorial to the Victims of Homosexual Violence and the testimonies of survivors preserve their stories.

The Nazi persecution of homosexual men under Paragraph 175 was a systematic attempt to eradicate a marginalized group, costing thousands of lives and livelihoods. For those interested in history, this story illustrates the fragility of human rights and the dangers of discriminatory ideologies. By engaging with sources such as the USHMM, we honor survivors like Josef Kohout and advocate for inclusion by fostering dialogue to prevent such atrocities in the future.