Media Essay
Gay Men under the Nazi Regime - Photographs
A gay couple in Berlin
Portrait of a gay couple. Berlin, Germany, ca. 1930.
Nazi ideology identified a multitude of enemies and led to the systematic persecution and murder of many millions of people, both Jews and non-Jews. The Nazis posed as moral crusaders who wanted to stamp out the "vice" of homosexuality from Germany in order to help win the racial struggle. Once they took power in 1933, the Nazis intensified persecution of German male homosexuals.
Item ViewIdentification photos of prisoner accused of homosexuality
Identification pictures of a prisoner, accused of homosexuality, who arrived at the Auschwitz camp on June 6, 1941. He died there a year later. Auschwitz, Poland.
Item ViewIncarcerated for homosexuality
An official order incarcerating the accused in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp for the "offence" of homosexuality. Germany, July 1944.
The Nazis posed as moral crusaders who wanted to stamp out what they labeled as the "vice" of homosexuality in order to help Germany win the racial struggle. They persecuted homosexuals as part of their so-called moral crusade to racially and culturally purify Germany.
Item ViewAn interior designer imprisoned for homosexuality
Interior designer from Duesseldorf who was charged with homosexuality and imprisoned for 18 months. Duesseldorf, Germany, date uncertain.
Item ViewArrested for homosexuality
![A writer from Duesseldorf who was arrested for homosexuality. [RW 58-61940]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/cccebf78-f2c6-4555-9381-6ac25596bb6a.jpg.pagespeed.ce.cxFTgQ-VUT.jpg "A writer from Duesseldorf who was arrested for homosexuality. [LCID: 80370]")
A waiter from Düsseldorf who was arrested by the Gestapo for allegedly having sexual relations with other men. Düesseldorf, Germany, 1938. [RW 58-61940]
The Nazi regime considered homosexuality a moral vice that threatened the current and future strength of the German people. They carried out a campaign against male homosexuality that included shutting down gay and lesbian meeting places and arresting men under Paragraph 175, the statute of the German criminal code that banned sexual relations between men.
Item ViewPortrait of author and actor Robert T. Odeman
Portrait of Robert T. Odeman, author and actor who was imprisoned in 1937 for 27 months for homosexuality. In 1942, he was deported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp where he was a prisoner for three years. Berlin, Germany, before 1937.
Item ViewIdentification photos of a man arrested for homosexuality
Identification pictures of a bartender from Duisburg who was arrested under Paragraph 175. Duisburg, Germany, August 27, 1936.
Item ViewA couple dances at the Eldorado nightclub
A couple dances at the Eldorado, a nightclub frequented by members of Berlin's gay and lesbian community. The nightclub, along with other similar establishments, was closed by the Nazi government in the spring of 1933. Photograph taken in Berlin, Germany, 1929.
Learn more about the Eldorado.
Item ViewIdentification photos of a prisoner accused of homosexuality
Identification pictures of a prisoner, accused of homosexuality, recently arrived at the Auschwitz camp. Auschwitz, Poland, between 1940 and 1945.
Item View