Germany Opens Memorial to Gays Killed by Nazis

SelectPlusGermany Opens Memorial to Gays Killed by NazisGermany Opens Memorial to Gays Killed by NazisThe Associated PressNear the memorial to Jews killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, a new memorial pays tribute to homosexuals persecuted during the Third Reich. (May 27)German officials are inaugurating a memorial to the thousands of homosexuals killed under the Nazis.The memorial is on the edge of Berlin's Tiergarten park - just across from a memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.Designers say the simple design was done for a reason.SOT: Ingar Dragset, memorial designer: "We proposed to make a concrete stele, a concrete slab that is similar to Peter Eisenman memorial on the other side of the street here (the Holocaust Memorial), which has 2,711 slabs. We wanted to make a story that connects both the homosexual victims and the Jewish victims in a similar way, but of course, we are also telling a different story."Visitors can look into the window and see a film of same-sex couples kissing. SOT: Michael Elmgreen, memorial designer: "For us it was quite important to have a direct imagery of a love scene, a passionate scene, an emotional scene between two same sex persons. Because, that is the main problem in homophobia. Like, you can get whatever rights, you can get acceptance on an abstract level, but they don't want to look at us."Nazi Germany declared homosexuality an aberration and a threat to the German race. Some 50,000 homosexuals were convicted as criminals. An estimated 10 to 15, 000 gay men were also sent to concentration camps. ___ ___, The Associated Press