In the early 20th century, Germany was a bastion for civil and LGBTQ rights, being what most consider the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. This was spearheaded by the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee (SHC), the first organization ever to fight for the legal equity of queer and transgender peoples. For 30 years, they established libraries, printed newspapers, and made Germany the first place where homosexuality could be de facto allowed. They pushed Germany’s culture forward, increasing the acceptance and education of and about LGBTQ people.
This lasted until January of 1933 when the Nazi party took control of power, where they immediately began attacking their enemies along cultural lines. By February, the party began forcing gay bars and “homosexual spaces,” to close, with almost all barred by the end of the year. By March, the party was collecting and burning any magazines or books related to homosexuality, and by May had raided the library of the SHC, destroying over 12,000 books and the buildings that housed them. By 1934, the Nazi party was purging itself of alleged homosexuals, and by the end of the year amended a law to make it easier to incriminate them. By 1935 they had set up the concentration camp system for arresting, enslaving, and executing their enemies, including the LGBTQ.
And still today, after all we know about history, there are many who believe that committing the same mistakes as the past is what will lead us towards a brighter future. More now than ever do we see this doublespeak and ambiguity that persisted in Nazi rhetoric and policy mirrored through the words and actions of American politicians.
There is probably no better modern day microcosm of this than in Florida. Not only did the legislature pass a “Don’t Say Gay” bill, it is also the state with the 2nd highest rate of book bans, and home to a Governor actively “waging a war on woke.” This war, and the bills that have come out of it, have created a chilling effect across the state, preventing LGBTQ communities from representing themselves how they wish, while emboldening the conservative movement and echoing Nazi and fascist tendencies.
This chilling trend has led to the cancellation of many LGBTQ focused events, particularly drag shows and parades. Although not a law yet, many fear that the ambiguity of the statute will allow authorities to shut down LGBTQ events at will. This is not the only concern in the state however, with many school libraries remaining empty as administrators rush to certify that every book in their collection is up to the state’s new standard. This process often forces educators to remove any book containing LGBTQ characters or themes, themes of racism or activism, or any sexual content.
Though we have not made it to the end of the slippery slope, we are definitely well on our way downwards. Even though there are no politicians explicitly calling for the systematic extermination of LGBTQ peoples yet, they are more than okay with implementing vague policies which do the same. Even outside of Florida hate like this continues to persist, such as Gianforte’s (yes the same one) successful efforts in Montana to ban gender-affirming medical procedures, even after his non-binary son pleaded with him not to.
Although they may not yet say it directly, their goals are clear, a conservative American future has no place for the LGBTQ. The doublespeak that exists in the conservative movement allows them to deflect and pass blame, insisting we are the ones making assumptions about their goals. It is no longer an assumption, the actions politicians like these have taken and will continue to take are unequivocally actively endangering the lives of LGBTQ youth in America.
The first step to recovery is admitting when you have a problem, and it is time for America to admit that we have a problem. Only once we reflect on the challenges we currently face and the history that has led us here can we begin to start making change for the better. If we continue to burn the evidence of our past and let fear and hatred rule our present, we will be doomed to repeat our mistakes in the future.
