PARAGRAPH 175

I drop in for 20 minutes or so at Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre on Wellington Street, where they’re holding their public observation of Holocaust Memorial Day. They’re remembering in particular the tens of thousands of LGBT people who suffered and died as a result of the years of brutality and hatred during the Fascist regimes in Europe.

The centrepiece of their programme this evening is the showing of Paragraph 175 (2000) a feature-length documentary directed by Rob Esptein and Jeffrey Friedman, narrated by Rupert Everett. The film chronicles the lives of several men who were arrested by the Nazis for homosexuality under Paragraph 175, the sodomy provision of the German penal code, dating back to 1871. Between 1933 and 1945, 100,000 men were arrested under Paragraph 175. Some were imprisoned, others were sent to concentration camps. Only about 4,000 survived. In 2000, fewer than ten of these men were known to be living. Five come forward in the documentary to tell their stories for the first time, considered to be among the last untold stories of the Third Reich. “Paragraph 175” tells of a gap in the historical record and reveals the lasting consequences, as told through personal stories of gay men and women who lived through it.

“Paragraph 175” fills a crucial gap in the historical record, and reveals the lasting consequences of this hidden chapter of twentieth century history. Since the theme of Holocaust Memorial Day (chosen this year, as it is every year, by the Holocaust Educational Trust) is “Untold Stories”, the Nazi persecution of LGBT people fits right in the mainstream of this year’s commemoration. Indeed this persecuted group is mentioned specifically by Prof Aubrey Newman during his speech at the HMD event in New Walk Museum starting later this evening.