Jews weren’t the only ones singled out for persecution and death by the Third Reich. A traveling exhibit from the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals: 1933-1945,” will be on display at the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library beginning Monday, September 19.
The darkest days of the 20th century will be explored through historic photographs and documents that examine the rationale, means and impact of the Nazi regime’s attempt to eradicate homosexuality by destroying gays and lesbians all across Europe.
An opening reception will be held Wednesday, September 21, and 7:00 p.m. in the library’s first-floor silent study room of Ekstrom Library.
Additionally, a series of related programming to are scheduled on various evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the library’s Chao Auditorium and include:
• “A Gay Holocaust? Homosexuals in Hitler’s Germany,” a lecture by UofL history professor Ann Allen, Wednesday, October 5.
• “Sexual Politics in Nazi Germany: Implications for Sex and Gender Issues,” a lecture by Jack Porter, author of “The Genocidal Mind,” Wednesday, October 26.
• Scenes from “Bent,” a play about the LGBT experience in Nazi Germany, performed by Pandora Productions, Wednesday, November 9. Audience discussion to follow.
A complete list of related events is at http://louisville.edu/lgbt/news-and-events/nazi-persecution-of-homosexuals-a-traveling.ics.
Community sponsors are The Annette and Joseph Gale Fund, The Jewish Community of Louisville and Jewish Hospital Healthcare Services. UofL sponsors are Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality, Office for LGBT Services, University Libraries and the Student Government Association.
The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, runs through November 28. For more information, call Brian Buford, director of LGBT services, at 852-0696.
Photo: Courtesy United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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