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.
![A homosexual couple. Berlin, Germany, ca. 1930. [LCID: 01670]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/d49fbba8-2969-4fdf-b12e-ef5c2f33491f.jpg.pagespeed.ce.IxdoVijms5.jpg)
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