The Agony of Love and Fear: Nazism and the German Queer Community, 1920-1945

The Nazis’ persecution of LGBTQ individuals is an often-overlooked topic in the wider study of theSecond World War. This paper synthesises recent research on this subject to provide an introductionto queer life in Germany between 1920 and 1945; it deals largely with the lives and experiences of gaymen, particularly their fight for legal equality in the interwar years and their mistreatment during the Naziperiod. Although not aiming to break new ground in this field, this paper aims to raise awareness of andgenerate interest in this topic among a general, interdisciplinary audience, and also to remind readersthat the struggles faced by the worldwide queer community neither began nor ended with the Third Reich