The treatment of homosexual inmates in Nazi concentration camps is a subject which was largely ignored by historians in both West and East Germany after the war. Not until the s, when research began to focus on some of the lesser-known victims of Nazi terror, did attention shift to the fate of homosexuals. This process can be seen clearly at the Buchenwald Memorial in the former GDR, the site of the persecution and also the death of considerable numbers of prisoners identified by the pink triangle on their clothing. The persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany began in , even before Buchenwald was built in
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Lesbian and gay life in Germany began to thrive at the beginning of the 20th century. Albrecht Becker — imprisoned by the Nazis for being gay. By the s, Paragraph of the German Penal Code, which criminalised homosexual acts, was being applied less frequently. In the process towards complete decriminalisation had been initiated within the German legislature. Repression against gay men and lesbians commenced within days of Hitler becoming Chancellor. On 6 May , the Nazis violently looted and closed The Institute for Sexual Science, burning its extensive collection on the streets.
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Before , homosexual acts were illegal in Germany under Paragraph of the German Criminal Code. The law was not consistently enforced, however, and a thriving gay culture existed in German cities. After the Nazi takeover in , the first homosexual movement 's infrastructure of clubs, organizations, and publications was shut down. A revision of Paragraph made it easier to bring criminal charges for homosexual acts, leading to a large increase in arrests and convictions. The Nazi regime considered the elimination of all manifestations of homosexuality in Germany one of its goals.
Lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender LGBT people frequently experience violence directed toward their sexuality , gender identity , or gender expression. It may be psychological or physical and motivated by biphobia , gayphobia , homophobia , lesbophobia , and transphobia. Influencing factors may be cultural , religious , [3] [4] [5] or political mores and biases. Currently, homosexual acts are legal in almost all Western countries , and in many of these countries violence against LGBT people is classified as a hate crime. Historically, state-sanctioned persecution of homosexuals was mostly limited to male homosexuality , termed " sodomy ".
