Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Pink Triangle
— The Legacy Walk —
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
1. The Pink Triangle Marker
Inscription.
The Pink Triangle. .
The Pink Triangle Gays in the Holocaust World War II, . Before the Nazi era, Berlin had been home to a vibrant gay and lesbian culture. At the conclusion of World War II, the Allies came upon Nazi concentration camps and other sites of atrocity to find thousands upon thousands of people – suffering terribly, emaciated, near death – whom the SS had incarcerated because they were Jewish, Roma or Sinti, dissenting Lutheran and Catholic Clergy, mentally or physically disabled, homosexuals, political dissidents… the list of groups which offended Adolf Hitler was a long one. While great effort was made to repatriate most victims of Nazi brutality, the homosexual survivors were not “liberated.” At the recommendation of British and American lawyers, the men who had been arrested under Germany’s anti-homosexual ‘Paragraph 175’ statute – identified by the pink triangles many were forced to wear – were to be re-imprisoned. The enforcement of anti-homosexuality laws across the U.S. and Europe, meant that many gay survivors of Nazism faced continued persecution, arrest, and detention long after Hitler was defeated. For decades, most of these men were unable to relate the saga of their torture at the hands of the Nazis for fear of outing themselves to a hostile society. No celebrations. No tearful reunions. No commiseration with friends. No community of survivors with which to share their stories. The German government did not recognize or grant reparations to gay survivors of Nazism until 2002, by which time almost all had died. The Pink Triangle was adopted by the modern LGBT Rights Movement in the 1970s and became emblematic of life and death during the 1980s and 90s when the male homosexual population once again faced mass death – this time by AIDS and the judgmental indifference that condemned them to a “deserved” fate. Once a hallmark of Hitler’s cruelty and madness, the Pink Triangle is now both a universal symbol of LGBT Pride and an international declaration of
“NEVER AGAIN!”.
The Pink Triangle
Gays in the Holocaust
World War II
Before the Nazi era, Berlin had been home to a vibrant gay and lesbian culture. At the conclusion of World War II, the Allies came upon Nazi concentration camps and other sites of atrocity to find thousands upon thousands of people – suffering terribly, emaciated, near death – whom the SS had incarcerated because they were Jewish, Roma or Sinti, dissenting Lutheran and Catholic Clergy, mentally or physically disabled, homosexuals, political dissidents… the list of groups which offended Adolf Hitler was a long one. While great effort was made to repatriate most victims of Nazi brutality, the homosexual survivors were not “liberated.” At the recommendation of British and American lawyers, the men who had been arrested under Germany’s anti-homosexual ‘Paragraph 175’ statute – identified by the pink triangles many were forced to wear – were to be re-imprisoned. The enforcement of anti-homosexuality laws across the U.S. and Europe, meant that many gay survivors of Nazism faced continued persecution, arrest, and detention long after Hitler was defeated. For decades, most of these men were unable to relate the saga of their torture at the hands of the Nazis for fear of outing themselves to a hostile society. No celebrations. No tearful reunions.
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No commiseration with friends. No community of survivors with which to share their stories. The German government did not recognize or grant reparations to gay survivors of Nazism until 2002, by which time almost all had died. The Pink Triangle was adopted by the modern LGBT Rights Movement in the 1970s and became emblematic of life and death during the 1980s and 90s when the male homosexual population once again faced mass death – this time by AIDS and the judgmental indifference that condemned them to a “deserved” fate. Once a hallmark of Hitler’s cruelty and madness, the Pink Triangle is now both a universal symbol of LGBT Pride and an international declaration of
“NEVER AGAIN!”
Erected 2015 by The Legacy Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the The Holocaust, and the The Legacy Walk series lists.
Location. 41° 56.478′ N, 87° 38.954′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lake View East. Marker is on North Halsted Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3245 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Harlem Renaissance (here, next to this marker);
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
2. The Pink Triangle Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here on the rainbow pylon that it shares with a marker for the Harlem Renaissance.
"A pink triangle has been a symbol for various LGBTQ identities, initially intended as a badge of shame, but later reclaimed as a positive symbol of self-identity. In Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, it began as one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, distinguishing those imprisoned because they had been identified by authorities as gay men. In the 1970s, it was revived as a symbol of protest against homophobia, and has since been adopted by the larger LGBTQ community as a popular symbol of LGBTQ pride and the LGBTQ rights movement."
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
3. Marker inset photo
homepage (Submitted on December 29, 2021.)
Additional keywords. lgbt lgbtq
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 143 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
