Dr Magnus Hirschfeld (1868 - 1935) The First Gay Activist
Born may 14th 1868 in Kohlberg Germany, (now Krolzberg, Poland) was Magnus Hirschfeld who was to become a pioneer for the study of sexual sciences. In 1896 a young medical doctor (Magnus Hirschfeld) in Magdeburg published his first book “Sappho und Sakrotes” which put forward an argument that homosexual love is part of human sexuality.Dr Hirschfeld himself a homosexual understood the vulnerability of those who became scapegoat in the populations and the need for organisation. He then formed the Scientific Humanitarian Committee and urged homosexuals from all walks of life to come out and get involved in the growing campaign for emancipation that developed, he even coined the phrase Transvestitism and wrote a book about it.
Dr Magnus Hirschfeld (1868 - 1935) became a pioneer to the homosexual populous of Germany and should never be forgotten for his work in reforming the laws criminalizing homosexuality in Germany. Dr Magnus Hirschfeld founded the ‘Institute For Sexual Science’ in Berlin who researched and discussed marital problems, sexually transmitted diseases, and also the laws referring to abortion and homosexuality. Himself a homosexual and author of many works he led efforts for three decades to reform laws criminalizing homosexuality in Germany. On May 6th 1933 the Nazis ransacked the institute taking the books and files they considered to be ungerman to a large public book burning four days later, destroying them all. At the time of the raid on the institute Dr Hirschfeld was in France where he remained until his death in 1935. Some of the works that Dr Magnus Hirschfield published are: Men And Women: The World Journey Of A Sexologist Sex In Human Relationships Transvestites: The Erotic Drive To Cross Dress (New Concepts In Human Sexuality) Homosexuality Of Men And Women A book written about the achievments of Magnus Hirschfeld by Charlotte Wolff Magnus Hirschfield - A Portrait Of A Pioneer In Sexology All information here can be found at www.queertheory.com/histories/h/hirschfeld_dr_magnus.htm |