We can’t forget, we won’t forget: The Holocaust and the Pink Triangles.

Remembering the Pink Triangles: The Forgotten Stories of Queer Suffering in the Holocaust

Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we reflect on one of the darkest chapters in human history – not just to remember the millions who perished but to honour the often-overlooked stories of queer individuals who suffered under the Nazi regime. Among the countless lives destroyed, a specific group bore a unique mark of hatred: the pink triangle.

The pink triangle, now reclaimed as a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride and resilience, was once a badge of unimaginable horror. It marked gay men in Nazi concentration camps – men whose only “crime” was their love, identity, or defiance of societal norms. Their stories, silenced for decades, deserve to be told, heard, and remembered.

Pink Triangles in the HolocaustBeing Gay Under the Nazi Regime

Before the Nazis came to power, there was a glimmer of hope for queer people in Germany. Berlin, in particular, was a hub of LGBTQ+ culture in the 1920s, with queer-friendly bars, publications, and a burgeoning movement for rights. But this fragile progress came crashing down in 1933 when Adolf Hitler rose to power.

Homosexuality, already criminalised under Paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code, became a target of intense Nazi persecution. Gay men were arrested, humiliated, and deemed a threat to the Aryan race because they “refused” to reproduce. Many were tortured into naming other queer people, creating a vicious cycle of betrayal and terror. Lesbians were persecuted less systematically but faced severe marginalisation, often being labelled as “asocial” or “deviant.”

The Pink Triangle in Concentration Camps

Once imprisoned, gay men were forced to wear the pink triangle, a humiliating badge sewn onto their striped uniforms. It set them apart from other prisoners and marked them as targets for extreme abuse – not only from Nazi guards but often from fellow inmates.

Those bearing the pink triangle faced some of the harshest conditions in the camps. They were subjected to brutal experiments, such as castration or hormone trials, as the Nazis sought to “cure” homosexuality. Many were beaten, starved, and worked to death. The survival rate for gay men in the camps was devastatingly low.

What’s more, after liberation, their suffering wasn’t acknowledged. Many survivors of the pink triangle were re-imprisoned under Paragraph 175 in post-war Germany, as homosexuality remained illegal. Unlike other Holocaust victims, they received no reparations or recognition for their suffering for decades.

Pink Triangle during HolocaustThe Stories We Must Never Forget

Among these forgotten lives are stories of resilience and heartbreak that shine a light on the human cost of hatred. Take, for example, Friedrich-Paul von Groszheim, a gay man arrested multiple times by the Gestapo. He was tortured and eventually castrated, a fate he described as leaving him “only half a man.”

Or Pierre Seel, a French survivor who was arrested after being outed by the Nazis. In a harrowing account, Pierre witnessed the brutal death of his boyfriend in a concentration camp, a memory that haunted him for the rest of his life. It wasn’t until decades later that Pierre shared his story, breaking the silence that surrounded queer suffering during the Holocaust.

These are just two names among countless others – voices that were silenced, lives that were shattered. Remembering their stories is not just an act of commemoration; it’s a call to action against prejudice and erasure.

Why We Must Remember

Holocaust remembrance is about more than history; it’s about the present and the future. The pink triangles remind us how easily a society can descend into hatred when bigotry is institutionalised and when “difference” is scapegoated.

It’s terrifying to think that the dehumanisation of queer people during the Holocaust isn’t ancient history – it’s within living memory. And even today, in some parts of the world, LGBTQ+ rights are still under attack. The persecution may not wear a pink triangle anymore, but the danger of marginalisation, violence, and erasure remains.

By remembering, we honour the dead and empower the living. We fight back against hate by learning its history and refusing to let it repeat.

From Hatred to Hope

The pink triangle has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of resilience, defiance, and pride. What was once a mark of oppression is now a badge of solidarity and hope. But that reclamation doesn’t erase its origins – instead, it reminds us that even in the face of unthinkable horror, humanity can rise again.

So today, take a moment to reflect. Light a candle. Share these stories. Teach others what happened. Not just to mourn the past but to make a promise: Never Again.

Because to remember is to resist, and to resist is to honour those who came before us – the ones who loved, who lived, and who dreamed of a world where they could just be. Let’s make sure their dreams live on. 🌈

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