Nazi Book Burning of 1933: The Destruction of Berlin's Sexology Institute

On 6 May 1933, members of the German Student Union carried out a raid on the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, known in English as the Sexology Institute, located in Berlin. This marked a pivotal moment in the Nazi regime's escalating campaign against minority groups.

The institute was founded by Magnus Hirschfeld, a Jewish physician who was also gay. Under his leadership, the organisation became a trailblazer for sexual and gender equality, championing the rights of women, gay people, and transgender individuals. Hirschfeld is credited with coining the term "transsexualism." The institute notably employed at least one transgender worker and pioneered early forms of modern gender affirmation surgery.

The First Nazi Book Burning

Just days following the raid, the institute's extensive library was publicly torched in the streets. This event represented the first book burning orchestrated by the Nazis, during which propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels addressed the crowd. The destruction of Hirschfeld's collection symbolised the regime's outright rejection of progressive sexual science.

Escalation of Persecution

In the aftermath, the Nazis intensified their persecution of LGBT+ individuals, with a particular focus on gay men and transgender women. The homophobic paragraph 175 of the German penal code was revised to ban all forms of male homosexual activity. This legal change paved the way for the arrest of thousands of LGBT+ people, who were subsequently sent to concentration camps. Even after the end of the war, some of these individuals were compelled by Allied authorities to complete their sentences, rather than being granted immediate release.

For more information on the institute and Magnus Hirschfeld, a book titled "Be Gay, Do Crime: Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and Rebellion" is available for purchase, with global shipping options. Check out your local radical or LGBTQIA bookstore for more!