<p>A waiter from D<span style="font-weight: 400;">ü</span>sseldorf who was arrested by the Gestapo for allegedly having sexual relations with other men. D<span style="font-weight: 400;">ü</span>esseldorf, Germany, 1938. [RW 58-61940]</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <a href="/narrative/4631">gay</a> and <a href="/narrative/6695">lesbian</a> meeting places and arresting men under <a href="/narrative/45421">Paragraph 175</a>, the statute of the German criminal code that banned sexual relations between men. </span></p>
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Paragraph 175

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Interior designer from Duesseldorf who was charged with homosexuality and imprisoned for 18 months. Duesseldorf, Germany, date uncertain.
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An interior designer imprisoned for homosexuality
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.
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Arrested for homosexuality
The Kusserow family was active in their region distributing religious literature and teaching Bible study classes in their home. They were Jehovah's Witnesses. Their house was conveniently situated for fellow Jehovah's Witnesses along the tram route connecting the cities of Paderborn and Detmold. For the first three years after the Nazis came to power, the Kusserows endured moderate persecution by local Gestapo agents, who often came to search their home for religious materials. In 1936, Nazi police pressure increased dramatically, eventually resulting in the arrest of the family and its members' internment in various concentration camps. Most of the family remained incarcerated until the end of the war. Bad Lippspringe, Germany, ca. 1935.
Article
"Enemies of the State"
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.
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Gay Men under the Nazi Regime
Media Essay
Gay Men under the Nazi Regime - Photographs
Media Essay
Gay Men under the Nazi Regime - ID Cards
Harry Pauly
ID Card
Harry Pauly
Identification pictures of a bartender from Duisburg who was arrested under Paragraph 175. Duisburg, Germany, August 27, 1936.
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Identification photos of a man arrested for homosexuality
Identification pictures of a prisoner, accused of homosexuality, recently arrived at the Auschwitz camp. Auschwitz, Poland, between 1940 and 1945.
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Identification photos of a 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.
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Identification photos of prisoner accused of homosexuality
Identification picture of a prisoner, accused of homosexuality, who arrived at the Auschwitz camp on May 28, 1941. Auschwitz, Poland.
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Identification picture of a prisoner accused of 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. 
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Incarcerated for homosexuality
Karl Lange
ID Card
Karl Lange
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.
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Lesbians under the Nazi Regime
Timeline Event
Letter to Commandant of Flossenbürg Camp
Article
Magnus Hirschfeld

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