Breaking the silence
After the 'liberation' some survivors including Karl Gorath, bravely struggled for recognition through the courts in post-war society. However, with Paragraph 175 still in place, many survivors tried to put their experiences behind them fearing further persecution.

'I've already talked so much about the concentration camps. I've spoken about it before. I don't want to anymore. That's in the past for me'. Gay survivor, Karl Gorath

Unwilling to go quietly into the night, one survivorbegan writing down his painful memories onto paper. The result was the powerful 'Männer mit dem rosa Winkel ' ('Man with the Pink Triangle'). First published in 1971, the German book opened the lid on a part of history that had remained hidden for so long. The Austrian survivor chose to remain anonymous fearing possible repercussions, instead relating his experiences to the German writer Heinz Heger. The book was later translated into English and republished in 1980 as 'The Men With the Pink Triangle', when it received wider recognition.

Other survivor books soon followed, including 'The Pink Triangle' by Robert Plant; 'An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin' by Gad Beck; 'Liberation was for Others, Memoires of a Gay Survivor of the Nazi Holocaust' by Pierre Seel (Originally published in French as 'Moi Pierre Seel, déporté Homosexuel'); and 'Damned Strong Love: The True Story of Willi G. and Stephan K' by Lutz Van Dijk. (A full list of these titles can be found in the resources section of this site).

Martin Sherman's 1979 award-winning play 'Bent' brought the suffering of gay men in Nazi Europe to the stage, and furthered awareness to the subject. A film version followed in 1997. The play was followed by the release of two documentaries featuring survivor testimonies: 'Desire' (directed by Stuart Marshall, 1989), & then 'We Were Marked With A Big 'A'' (directed by Elke Jeanrod & Josef Weishaupt, 1990).

A declaration
Historians began to research the Nazi persecution of homosexuals extensively, among them German-born Dr. Klaus Mueller, who has produced many articles on the subject. In 1995 he helped & encouraged eight survivors to issue a collective declaration demanding judicial & moral recognition of their persecution. The declaration read:

'Declaration of gay survivors 50 years after their liberation' "50 years ago, Allied troops did liberate us from Nazi concentration camps & prisons. But the world we had hoped for did not happen to come true. We were forced to hide again & faced on-going persecution under the same Nazi-law that was on the books since 1935 & stayed on the books until 1969. Raids were frequent. Some of us - just tasting their new freedom - were even sentenced to long-term prison again. Although some of us tried courageously to gain recognition by challenging the courts up to the West German Supreme Court, we were never acknowledged as being persecuted by the Nazi regime. We were excluded from financial compensations for the victims of the Nazi regime. We lacked the moral support & sympathy of the public. No SS-man ever had to face a trial for the murder of a gay man in or outside the camps. But whereas they now enjoy a pension for their 'work' in the camps, our years in the camps are subtracted from our pension. Today we are too old & tired to struggle for the recognition of the Nazi injustice we suffered. Many of us never dared to testify. Many of us died alone with their hunting memories. We waited long, but in vain for a clear political & financial gesture of the German government & courts. We know that still very little is taught in schools & universities about our fate. Even Holocaust museums & memorials many times don't mention the Nazi persecution of homosexuals. Today, 50 years later, we turn to the young generation & to all of you who are not guided by hate & homophobia. Please support us in our struggle to memorize & document the Nazi atrocities against homosexual men & lesbian women. Let us never forget the Nazi atrocities against Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah's witnesses, Freemasons, the disabled, Polish & Russian prisoners of war & homosexuals. let us learn from the past & let us support the young generation of lesbian women & gay men, girls & boys to lead unlike us a life in dignity & respect, with their loved ones, their friends & their families."

In 1999 the groundbreaking documentary 'Paragraph 175', directed by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman brought together the testimonies of eight survivors. Although not the first documentary on the subject, it was largely regarded as the most comprehensive. Winning several awards, including the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for 'Best Documentary Direction', the film became instrumental in raising awareness & was cited in the eventual apology & recognition for gay victims by the German government.

Recognition did eventually come but late for many of gay victims & survivors, who lived the rest of their lives as criminals in the eyes of the law. While memorials remember the many other victims of the Holocaust, it was 54 years before one included the gay victims. In January 1999 Germany finally held its first official memorial service for the homosexual victims at the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

"We all know that our decisions today are more than 50 years late, they are necessary nonetheless. We owe it to the victims of wrongful Nazi justice." German justice minister Hertha Daeubler-Gmelin, May 17th 2002

Appology at last
However, it wasn't until December 2000 that an actual apology came. The German government issued an apology for the prosecution of homosexuals in Germany after 1949 & agreed to recognise gays as victims of the Third Reich. Survivors were finally encouraged to come forwards & claim compensation for their treatment during the Holocaust (although claims had to be registered before the end of 2001).

The Geneva-based aid agency, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) was responsible for the introducing & handling the claims.

On May 17th 2002, the process was completed as thousands of homosexuals, who suffered under the Reich, were officially pardoned by the German government. About 50,000 gay men were included. German justice minister Hertha Daeubler-Gmelin told parliament, "We all know that our decisions today are more than 50 years late, they are necessary nonetheless. We owe it to the victims of wrongful Nazi justice."

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