About this Event
When Germany was unified under Prussian leadership in 1871, the new state published a penal code that included Paragraph 175, which banned sexual relations between men and allowed for the imprisonment of those who were convicted of having engaged in such activity. But the law was not always strictly enforced; this was notably the case during the Weimar period (1918-33). After Hitler came to power in 1933, however, the situation changed dramatically. The Nazi regime broadened the scope of Paragraph 175 and promoted stricter enforcement, so the numbers of men who were imprisoned under the statute increased sharply. Furthermore, some men were confined not in prisons but in concentration camps. During the years 1935-45, perhaps 100,000 gay men (plus a small number of lesbians) were in confinement at some point; 5,000-6,000 of these were sent to the camps and a very high proportion – probably 60-70%, perhaps more -- died in them; some were murdered, while the majority succumbed to the harsh treatment that they were subjected to.
Paragraph 175, the award-winning documentary whose screening inaugurates this observance of Holocaust Memorial Week, provides the testimony of a number of homosexuals who were persecuted under the Nazis. The film will be introduced by Dr. Bradley Boovy, and after it concludes he will respond to questions raised by the audience. Dr. Boovy is an associate professor in the School of Language, Culture, and Society at OSU, where he primarily teaches German language and culture, and he also teaches regularly in the Woman, Gender, and Sexuality Program.
At Oregon State University, we have observed Holocaust Memorial Week every year since 1987. The breadth and the duration of our effort are unmatched in the Pacific Northwest. This program grows from the belief that educational institutions can do much to combat prejudice of all kinds, and to foster respect for the diversity that is America, by promoting an awareness of the Holocaust, perhaps the most horrific historical indicator of the high cost of prejudice. It is particularly important to teach young people about the Holocaust, so that coming generations will not forget the lessons that a preceding one learned at such cost. This emphasis recalls the motto of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: "For the dead and the living, we must bear witness." Learn more about all events at https://holocaust.oregonstate.edu/
For accommodations for disability, please contact University Events at events@oregonstate.edu or by calling 541-737-4717.
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