The Men with the Pink Triangle
Photo of Linus Rogge

Linus Rogge &
The Men with the Pink Triangle by Heinz Heger

The third and most cynical argument was also the most influential: "Aryan" lesbians could be used as breeders regardless of their own feelings, and reproduction was the most urgent goal of Nazi population politics.

Page 17

However, some testimonies suggest a pattern of special brutality during police raids toward gay men who were discovered to be Jewish as well.

Page 19

Gay Holocaust survivors received no moral or financial support after 1945—not from the government, not from Holocaust researchers, not from the fragile gay and lesbian community. As a result, some internalized Nazi persecution as their own fault, blaming themselves for not having been smarter in hiding their lives. "It all happened because we stupid queens didn't hide our address books," one survivor told me.

Page 21

What does it say about the world we live in, if an adult man is told how and whom he should love?

Page 40

The camp commander stood right by, and looked visibly more than a little interested in the proceedings. At each stroke his eyes lit up, and after a few strokes his whole face was red with excitement. He buried his hands in his trouser pockets and could clearly be seen to masturbate, quite unperturbed by our presence. After satisfying himself in this way, the perverted swine suddenly disappeared, being no longer interested in the further execution of the punishment.

Page 81

Homosexual behavior between two "normal" men is considered an emergency outlet, while the same thing between two gay men, who both feel deeply for one another, is something "filthy" and repulsive.

Page 86

Himmler's idea, however, was that those of us in the pink triangle category should be "cured" of our homosexual disposition by compulsory regular visits to the brothel. We were obliged to show up there once a week, in order to "learn" the joys of the other sex.

Page 137

A few SS NCOs had got hold of prisoners' clothing, planning to disguise themselves as prisoners as the Americans approached, and disappear in the confusion of impending liberation. Many of them, indeed, did do so, though only in rare cases did they manage to escape subsequent imprisonment and conviction by the occupying powers.

Page 155
Edition
ISBN 9781555830069

Reviews

Photo of Anna Kulwikowska
Anna Kulwikowska@ankakulwikowska
3 stars
Dec 6, 2021
Photo of Rick Powell
Rick Powell@rickpowell
4 stars
Aug 13, 2021

Highlights

Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

A few SS NCOs had got hold of prisoners' clothing, planning to disguise themselves as prisoners as the Americans approached, and disappear in the confusion of impending liberation. Many of them, indeed, did do so, though only in rare cases did they manage to escape subsequent imprisonment and conviction by the occupying powers.

Page 155
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

Himmler's idea, however, was that those of us in the pink triangle category should be "cured" of our homosexual disposition by compulsory regular visits to the brothel. We were obliged to show up there once a week, in order to "learn" the joys of the other sex.

Page 137
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

Homosexual behavior between two "normal" men is considered an emergency outlet, while the same thing between two gay men, who both feel deeply for one another, is something "filthy" and repulsive.

Page 86
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

The camp commander stood right by, and looked visibly more than a little interested in the proceedings. At each stroke his eyes lit up, and after a few strokes his whole face was red with excitement. He buried his hands in his trouser pockets and could clearly be seen to masturbate, quite unperturbed by our presence. After satisfying himself in this way, the perverted swine suddenly disappeared, being no longer interested in the further execution of the punishment.

Page 81
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

What does it say about the world we live in, if an adult man is told how and whom he should love?

Page 40
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

Gay Holocaust survivors received no moral or financial support after 1945—not from the government, not from Holocaust researchers, not from the fragile gay and lesbian community. As a result, some internalized Nazi persecution as their own fault, blaming themselves for not having been smarter in hiding their lives. "It all happened because we stupid queens didn't hide our address books," one survivor told me.

Page 21
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

However, some testimonies suggest a pattern of special brutality during police raids toward gay men who were discovered to be Jewish as well.

Page 19
Photo of Linus Rogge
Linus Rogge@linusrogge

The third and most cynical argument was also the most influential: "Aryan" lesbians could be used as breeders regardless of their own feelings, and reproduction was the most urgent goal of Nazi population politics.

Page 17