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endusviolence · 1 month

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Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

#transgender #trans history #transsexual #transphobia #Magnus Hirschfeld #holocaust #holocaust denial #book burning #j.k. rowling #jk rowling #just in case you missed what i mean by all this: go fuck yourself anon :)#trans people have always existed #and we will always exist #if you really wanna pick a fight with me over well-documented history then you better bring in some sources to back your shit #queer history #queer #lgbt+#lgbta+#lgbt #lgbt history #edit: i finally got around to those damn image IDs. i am so very sorry for totally forgetting that's my bimbo moment of the month #also real quick i thought about adding an image of the actual building but the only one i can find has a Nazi parade in front of it #it was taken the day of the book burning raid and honestly if i were to include it then i'd add it to the first few paragraphs #and i think the story's better told when you uphold the hope Magnus Hirschfeld and all the researchers he worked with had #also keeps being brought up: yes Hirschfeld was a eugenicist. it was a popular belief set that was only discredited after WW2 #Hirschfeld died in 1935. he literally didn't live long enough to see science turn against those beliefs and practices #considering how he changed his mind on transitions i like to think he would've changed his mind on eugenics too if he'd lived

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anarcho-yorpism · 1 month

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To all the communist transvestites, VOTE👏VON👏HINDENBURG👏

I'm just as radical as you; I'm a proud member of the great Social Democratic Party of Germany! I don't know what the crazy communists are telling you, but Paul von Hindenburg is our only hope to defeat the Nazis. After we elect him, then we can discuss other politics, but this is the BARE MINIMUM, and if you don't vote for him, you clearly have this crazy purity test that'll bring us all to fascism.

I know you might be worried about his "senility" and "failing health", and I know you may not like him because of his push to the right, and I know you may be worried about the brownshirts, and the recent persecution of Dr. Hirschfeld and his work, and maybe you STILL haven't gotten over the whole Rosa Luxemburg stuff,

but none of that really matters! We need to keep the SPD in power, or else Hitler will get in charge! This is the most important and most basic thing you could do to help Germany stay a democracy. In 6 years, then maybe we can find a better candidate, but no matter what you think about von Hindenburg, he's the best shot we have at keeping the fascists out of power. We can totally push him left!

Any vote against von Hindenburg is a vote for Hitler. #Hindenburg1932

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makingqueerhistory · 7 months

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Queer history fact: Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) performed the first successful modern gender confirmation surgery, pioneering the surgeries used today. He was nicknamed "the Einstein of sex" for his work.

#queer history #queer #lgbt #lgbt history #gay history #lesbian history #transgender history #transgender #making queer history #magnus hirschfeld

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femmepathy · 2 years

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Voo Doo, a German trans woman cabaret owner and performer with her beloved boa. (Date unclear: likely 1912-1928.) [source]

#voo doo #Magnus Hirschfeld #trans woman #weimar berlin #cabaret #trans history #snake #boa #pride #mine

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jvlesx · 4 months

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According to the Library of Congress, 75% of all silent films are completely lost. It's tragic to me that so many films will never be seen again. I wanted to do a series of drawings in which I make tributes to these lost films based on the information available. Idk I'm a nerd ok

Different from the Others (Anders als die Andern) was a German film that came out in 1919. The story followed two men and their romantic love for eachother; social criticism, however, leads one man to commit suicide after he is outed. The film argues for the inclusion and normalization of homosexuals, and argues against the law at the time, which stated that homosexuality was a criminal offense. The film is the first of its kind to depict homosexuality in a positive light.

It amassed controversy upon its release and was quickly pulled from public theaters. Despite the backlash, many viewers were reportedly "moved to tears" by the tragic ending. The Weimar Republic enacted censorship laws, and the film henceforth was only allowed to be shown in private viewings to psychiatrists and doctors. Later, the Nazis destroyed all remaining copies, with only fragments of the film and photos surviving. It is now considered a partially lost film, given that only a few segments remain.

#different from the others #anders als die andern #conrad veidt #reinhold schünzel #magnus hirschfeld #silent films #silent film #lgbtq #lgbtq history #queer history #my art

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she-is-ovarit · 7 months

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Trans medical history and its origins in Nazi medicine focused on sterilizing gay people.

Curiously, I am unable to seem to be able to find my last post I made in sharing Malcolm Clark's posts; it seems to have been removed. I would like to share Tumblr's anti-terrorism clause: "We don't tolerate content that promotes, encourages, or incites acts of terrorism. That includes content which supports or celebrates terrorist organizations, their leaders, or associated violent activities". I would also like to take a moment to recognize that Tumblr promotes and supports quite a lot of "gender affirmation" and trans healthcare related content. As a lesbian who is Jewish, I would also would like to express my appreciation for Tumblr's anti hate speech clause, which describes not promoting violence and hatred among several groups, which I hope includes homosexual people and Jewish people. I hope that Tumblr staff are not removing anti-Nazi posts made by homosexual and/or Jewish people that educate people on some of the origins and horrors of the Holocaust and conversion therapy.

Moving forward, I as a Jewish lesbian would love to share with you important history regarding the oppression of Jewish people and same-sex attracted people as described by Malcolm Clark:

(Link: https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Eugenics-and-the-Nazis-the-California-2549771.php)

Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20181226033626/http://www.transmediawatch.org/timeline.html

Edit: Here is an archived webpage of Malcolm Clark's thread: https://web.archive.org/web/20230925022852/https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1662967081191497728.html

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intersexfairy · 4 months

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shoutout to cisgender transexuals, transvestites, gnc people, and genderqueers. no matter what anyone says, you belong in the trans community. trans- terms first described people who expressed their gender in a way that "contradicted" their AGAB, even if they are that gender. that's you!

the word transexual wasn't a mistake. it describes a real experience genderqueer people can have. and all trans- terminology came from the terms transexual and transvestite. so many beautiful words exist because of you! you've been part of this community since it's (verbal) inception. you've existed since the dawn of gender.

also, Magnus Hirschfield, a gay (and likely polyamorous) Jewish physician and sexologist, coined the terms transsexual and transvestite. he was targeted by the Nazis and fled to France to escape the persecution. he died there at the age of 67. and the books of his institute, Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, are the books being burned in that infamous photo of Nazi book burnings. this is the same institute that performed the very first gender/sex reassignment surgeries.

so not only is trans terminology a gift to the trans community from a queer Jewish man who dedicated his life to supporting us and finding ways for us to affirm who we are... these terms were born of love and activism, not the hate and ignorance so many ascribe to them. branding them as offensive and outdated is an insult to queer people, both past and present. so many people have suffered just for existing as who they are and fighting for our rights.

don't let anyone tell you the trans community isn't your home. don't let people forsake our history and elders. you are always welcome here, i promise.

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radiofreederry · 1 year

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Happy birthday, Magnus Hirschfeld! (May 14, 1868)

A pioneering figure in the field of sexology, Magnus Hirschfeld was born in what is now Poland to an Ashkenazi family, the son of renowned physician Hermann Hirschfeld. After earning his medical degree, Hirschfeld spent some time in the United States and involved himself in the gay scene in Chicago, which would spur him to study sexuality and gender. Hirschfeld was struck by the universality of homosexuality and the fact that gay subcultures existed in most major cities, as well as the rate of suicide experienced by his gay patients. Hirschfeld worked tirelessly to normalize homosexuality in German society and foster greater acceptance, through both academic and political means. In the liberal atmosphere of Weimar Berlin, Hirschfeld found some measure of success, as the Social Democratic government of Prussia had no interest in enforcing federal laws against homosexuality. He founded the Institute for Sexual Research and built an immense archive of works relating to sexuality and gender research. Hirschfeld made the Institute his literal home, living there with his partner Karl Giese and his sister. Hirschfeld's fortunes would turn as first conservative Chancellor Franz von Papen seized the government of Prussia and began to crack down on homosexuality, and then the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. As a gay, Jewish socialist, Hirschfeld was a threefold target for the Nazis, and he never returned to Germany, having already been abroad on a speaking tour when the Nazis took power. The Institute was shut down and then ransacked, with its library burned. Hirschfeld would spend the rest of his life in Nice, France, dying in 1935.

“Soon the day will come when science will win victory over error, justice a victory over injustice, and human love a victory over human hatred and ignorance.”

#birthdays #magnus hirschfeld

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strawberrymeriadoc · 6 months

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Two trans women from 1904 in Germany

The caption on the previous page reads “Zwei Frauen aus der persönlichen Bekanntschaft des Herausgebers” (translation: two women from the Editor’s personal acquaintance)

From Magnus Hirschfeld’s journal “Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen”

#trans history #transgender history #queer history #magnus hirschfeld #early 20th century

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fabiansociety · 6 months

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sometimes the internet is still good — i checked out a copy of the celluloid closet from the library, and vito russo talks about this pro-gay movie funded by the hirschfeld institute and starring conrad veidt, and how it's been lost, and you know there's a copy on the internet archive for free? it's not the complete movie — that was apparently successfully destroyed by the nazis, or at least a complete version hasn't turned up yet — but it's more than was available when the book came out, and it's just… it's there. you can watch it. the nazis tried to destroy it and they failed and now you can watch it. it got censored so hard a year after it came out that you could only see it if you were a doctor or a lawyer and it's just free now. that's wonderful.

#different from the others #conrad veidt #magnus hirschfeld #the celluloid closet #vito russo

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hanna-lulu · 1 year

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i’ve been comparing the usa now to germany circa the late 1930s and it is not a favorable comparison.

let’s see what we’ve got:

increasing antisemitism

increasing transphobia

increasing ableism

continued oppression of indigenous peoples

laws being introduced to ban gender-affirming care and remove children from their homes if they are allowed to live as they wish

books being banned for having honest and age-appropriate portrayals of race/racism and queerness/homophobia

pushing maid (medical assistance in dying) on people with disabilities and even people who are just poor (this is more in canada but i’m including it here anyway)

a right wing that is seen as ridiculous and absurd, yet is somehow still managing to hold onto power while liberals/leftists laugh it off as if they’ll run out of steam

it’s important to note that in the 1930s, when hitler came to power, the international community thought he was a joke. his overblown rhetoric was silly, his history was laughable, and nobody took him seriously. they thought it would all blow over. also, he wasn’t saying anything that a lot of people didn’t secretly agree with. antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism were widespread throughout europe and the usa, and a lot of people had less of a problem with what he was saying and more with how he was saying it. (think kanye west’s antisemitic comments, which joe rogan did attempt to stop him from making so blatantly, but didn’t actually disagree with.)

the first medical and educational facility for gender affirming care was in berlin. did you know that? the institut für sexualwissenschaft (known variably in english as institute of sex research, institute of/for sexology, or institute for the science of sexuality) was founded in 1919 and headed by magnus hirschfeld, who was both gay and jewish. he helped build a library in the institute that was dedicated to the topics of gender, eroticism, and same-sex love. the research undertaken there regarded sexual health of all people, gay, transgender, and intersex, as well as counseling and treatment for alcoholism, gynecological issues, venereal diseases, contraceptives, and more. sexual reassignment surgeries were performed successfully there. the goal was to help those who were suffering because they could not live as who they truly were and to educate the common people, because people fear what they see as different, what they cannot understand.

you won’t find the books in that library today. they were burned as part of the nazis’ campaign of terror and censorship. in 1933, 6 years before world war 2 officially broke out, the institut was broken into and looted by the deutsche studentenschaft (aka the german student union). young adults who had spent their formative years surrounded by hateful rhetoric were accompanied by a brass band as they destroyed this oasis of understanding and knowledge. hirschfeld himself had fled germany years before, as he had been targeted numerous times by nationalists/far right “activists”.

berlin once had a thriving queer community. germany was a home to many jews, my own great-grandparents included. my great-grandmother’s younger brother had a learning disability. their home turned on them out of fear and ignorance, the people told by their leaders that other human beings were not really human, but degenerate filth. my great-grandparents escaped with their lives. many– my great-grandma’s brother included– did not.

the concentration camps that imprisoned and killed so many jewish, queer, and/or disabled people (as well as romani and political prisoners, and japanese-americans IN THE USA) are not consigned to the past. our prison system disenfranchises those who are placed in it and uses them for unpaid labor. refugees are caged for daring to hope that our country– the so-called “land of the free”– would take them in when their homes turned on them. indigenous people are ridiculed and attacked for wanting to help our planet heal and for asking to conserve the land that was stolen from their ancestors. almost a hundred years since the holocaust, and we still haven’t learned.

don’t look away from this. it’s not going to blow over. those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and we are already experiencing a resurgence of fascist beliefs and rhetoric.

write to your representatives. VOTE. protest if and when you can. show them that we are HERE and we refuse to be written out of the history books, banned or burned away. we are human beings. we live and love and deserve to do so with dignity.

and if appealing to your humanity isn’t enough, remember this poetic version of a quote by german lutheran pastor martin niemöller, an early nazi collaborator and antisemite who later changed his views and opposed hitler’s oppressive regime:

“first they came for the socialists, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a socialist.

then they came for the trade unionists, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a trade unionist.

then they came for the jews, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a jew.

then they came for me– and there was no one left to speak for me.”

there is always another enemy in fascism. anyone who is different will eventually be a target. white supremacy is poison, and fitting the mold of a “perfect citizen” cannot keep you safe. queer infighting and pushing down people who you find “too weird” will not stop the people who hate all of us. to the far right, we are all wrong to our very cores. solidarity in the face of oppression is the only way to survive, live, and thrive.

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probablyasocialecologist · 17 days

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There is suffering, yes, there is despair and self-harm and ostracism. But Berlin’s Third Sex also offers something you may not expect of Wilhelmine Berlin — fun. To encounter Hirschfeld’s report today is to experience an electric charge of recognition. With its all-night parties, pansexual drag, and campy stage personas, with its elaborate codes of communication, layers of irony, and pop culture references, it reads like a dress rehearsal, in starched collars, for modern Western queer life.

#lgbt #history #magnus hirschfeld

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makingqueerhistory · 1 year

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Do you have any resources or posts on Jewish mlm/queer men's history?

I can definitely get a list together for you:

Magnus Hirschfeld

Salim Halali

György Faludy

Karl M. Baer

Jiří Langer

Mauritz Stiller

Elmyr de Hory

#magnus hirschfeld #salim halali #gyorgy faludy #karl m baer #jiri langer #mauritz stiller #elmyr de hory #queer history #lgbt history #answered

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porcelain-rob0t · 14 days

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i know this is old news now but are we surprised that noted antisemite, jkr who is known well for "evil cabal of hook-nosed banker goblins" in her writing, denies nazi crimes and pushes historical revisionism for the sake of spreading hatred. nazis hated trans people and obviously killed trans people because they believed transgenderism was a Jewish plot to weaken the strong aryan man. i recommend researching Magnus Hirschfeld and the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, its an important part of LGBT history and Jewish history, he was a truly fascinating person

#anti jkr #holocaust denial #holocaust mention #magnus hirschfeld

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eyobis-andthe-bunnycats · 1 month

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Hey can people stop erasing Magnus Hirschfeld's Jewish identity while they're trying to dunk on JKR being an idiot.

#antisemitism #queer history #Magnus Hirschfeld #jkr #Holocaust #Nazi crimes

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tf2incorrectquotes · 4 months

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Team Fortress 2 Headcanons #24:

The Medic was a prodigy studying under Magnus Hirschfeld before being captured and sent to the prison camps when their Institute was ransacked by the Nazi party.

#team fortress 2 headcanons #headcanons #headcanon #TF2 Medic #team fortress 2 #lgbt #lgbtq #Magnus Hirschfeld #tw nazi

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