Pink Holocaust
The term Pink Holocaust refers to the persecution of men suspected of homosexuality by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. The Nazi regime's campaign to "purify" German society and boost the "Aryan" birthrate led them to deem homosexual men a biological and social threat. The persecution was primarily carried out through the aggressive enforcement and harsh revision of Paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code, a pre-existing law criminalizing sexual acts between men.
Police arrested approximately 100,000 men under this statute, with an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 men convicted and deported to concentration camps for indefinite terms. These prisoners were forced to wear a pink triangle badge, which often subjected them to particularly brutal treatment, abuse, and a high mortality rate. While Paragraph 175 did not criminalize female homosexuality, lesbian organizations and social spaces were also suppressed. After the war, homosexual survivors were often denied recognition and compensation as victims, and the Nazi-amended Paragraph 175 remained in effect in West Germany until 1969.
- Gays, the Holocaust, and the Pink Triangle
- Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals: An Exhibit
- Pink Triangles and Prison Sentences: NAZI persecution of Homosexuals
- The History of the Gay Male and Lesbian Experience during World War II
- The Pink Triangle: From Nazi Label to Symbol of Gay Pride
- The Pink Triangle
Credits
Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.