Immediately following the end of the Second World War there were calls to establish a memorial to commemorate the gay men and women who lost their lives in the war. However, all efforts to establish a monument failed. It took until the 1980’s, almost 40 years after the war, before the time was ripe. It wasn't until then that thorough research into the persecution of homosexuals in the Second World War was properly conducted.
Homosexuals were persecuted and oppressed under the Hitler regime. Gay men and women simply did not fit into the concept of a strong Aryan nation and they consequently had to be eliminated. Gay men who were arrested and deported to concentration camps were issued a "branding mark" in the form of a pink triangle.
They were forced to wear this symbol on the upper left corner of their jackets and on their right trouser legs. These triangles were two to three centimetres larger than the triangles worn by the other prisoners so that everyone could see from a distance that the wearer was a homosexual man.
The Homomonument makes a strong statement that history must not be repeated: "Never again".
The Homomonument calls for vigilance.
The Homomonument does not, however, only commemorate the victims of the Second World War. It commemorates all homosexual men and women who have been, or are still being, persecuted and murdered for their sexual orientation.
The Homomonument honours these brave gay men and women.
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