Statement

Statement
While widespread homophobia still exists in the world, attitudes to homosexuality have changed dramatically, and continue to change. This is no reason to be despondent, however; the Holocaust was less than 60 years ago. Generations of younger people may feel little or no connection to this subject but these atrocities do form a valuable part of our heritage: Our gay heritage.

While memorials do finally begin to acknowledge the pink triangles as victims, it is essential that we continue to raise awareness of their plight and experience. With the number of gay survivors thought to be less than ten, soon there will be no one left to bear witness. While their voices may fade a new generation must speak out on their behalf so that we don't ever forget.

I was first drawn to the plight of homosexuals during the Holocaust when I attended a screening of the documentary 'Paragraph 175' at the Imperial War Museum in London (June 17th 2001). Previously I had been unaware of the persecution of homosexuals and considered, like many people I know, that the Holocaust was strictly a Jewish one.

Listening to the brave but painful testimonies of the gay survivors had a profound effect on me. That these men and women suffered in such a way is terrible: that they were then continually persecuted and regarded as degenerates after the 'liberation', while all other victims received such sympathy, is incomprehensible. Was their suffering somehow less valid because of their sexuality?

While this might not be an easy subject to read about but is an important part of history that has remained in the shadows for far too long. Through this site I hope to add further voice to raising awareness of the persecution of homosexual men and women during this period.

The site should be viewed as an introduction to this subject; there are more detailed resources documenting the plight of homosexuals during and after the Holocaust, many of which are listed on the resources page of this site. One of the most comprehensive sites is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), where an online exhibition is available: http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/hsx/

While some of the books about this subject are out of print, many are still available to buy new or second hand. A good gateway book is Richard Plant's 'The Pink Triangle'. The award winning 'Paragraph 175' documentary is available to buy at most good retailers or directly at www.tellingpictures.com

Holocaust Memorial Day
Each year on the 27th January is World Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). Throughout the world services and memorials are held to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of the Holocaust.

HMD also aims to remember all victims of more recent atrocities, including in Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo and Cambodia. By remembrance it is possible to educate against the dangers of ethnic cleansing, anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of discrimination.

More information and a list of events near you can be found at the following sites:
UK: http://www.holocaustmemorialday.gov.uk
Worldwide: http://www.yad-vashem.org.il/

Don't let the light go out: please remember to remember.

Articles:
A list of articles will be added here as they are published. If you are a publication and would like to feature an article based on the contents of this site please contact me at LewisOswald@homocaust.org.
*All articles are under strict 2004© copyright and may not be published, or republished without prior permission from Lewis Oswald.

All articles are written by Lewis Oswald and MUST be credited accordingly with clear reference to Homocaust.org.

Date	Title	Length
January 2005:	Homocaust: the forgotten Holocaust'	1000 words

If you have any comments about this site please contact lewisoswald@hardenet.com This site is entirely funded by www.LewisOswald.com and www.Hardenet.com

Accuracy/ permissions
This document has been the result of committed research and study. While there is still much to discover and read, I am satisfied that this site contains nothing but accurate information, dates, events and descriptions of a historical nature. Much effort has gone into checking dates and details so as not to offer false or misleading information.

Should you disagree with any of the detail provided as fact on Homocaust.org please contact me and I will investigate and verify where necessary.

This site is presented as a highly edited version of an original comprehensive document, entitled: 'Homocaust: The Gay Holocaust'. It is the result of over three years of extensive research and is intended as a brief introduction to the subject. During this period I have gathered a wealth of documentation as source material, including first person testimonies, diary entries, police, court and prison documents and photographs, archived historical documents, printed newspapers and journals, statistical information and documentary evidence (both audio and visual). Further to this I have read and researched many of the published written accounts of Holocaust survivors (both Gay and non-gay) that have spoken on the subject - many of which are now out of print. My research has also included visits to various historical locations and sites of interest around Europe, including prisons, concentration camps, museums and memorials. While every effort has been made to cross-reference all dates and historical information as objectively and accurately as possible, and despite proofing the final draft with a variety of historical specialists and organisations, some minor inaccuracies may still be present. By further reading you may find that other documents and sites relevant to this subject will differ slightly on certain historical dates. For this very reason I have included a list of my main source material and active links to other online documents as further research and information into the Homocaust. My intention has always been to raise awareness of the Homocaust and honour the memory of the victims and survivors. If you do have doubts concerning any of the historical accuracy of any of the information presented as fact within this site please contact me at lewisoswald@hardenet.com.

Every effort has been made to ensure that all images have been reproduced only with the permission of the copyright holder. All images used have been credited to the source and listed on the credits page as well as in captions in the mouse over state on the images themselves.

Thank you
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following people who have offered help and support to this project:

Permissions to use images and photographs:

Dr Piotr Setkiewicz, Head of Archives @ State Museum of Auschwitz - Birkenau
Alan Jacobs, photographer (view multiple online exhibitions @ www.remember.org/Jacobs)
Andrew Hollinger, curator, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum @ www.USHMM.org
Terese Pencak Schwartz, @ www.holocaustforgotten.com




Lewis Oswald
Homocaust.org
LewisOswald@hardenet.com
London, 2004

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