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Teacher's Guide Gets Errata Sheet Following Protests |
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Compiled By GayToday
"In Germany they first came for the communists and I didn't speak
up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and
I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the
trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade
unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up
because I was a protestant. Then they came for me and by that
time no one was left to speak up."
The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust has quickly reversed course after blithely censoring a teacher's resource guide titled Triangles, Badges, and Stars: Remembering the Mosaic of Victims in the Holocaust. The Commission had eliminated two paragraphs about the persecution of gay men by the Nazis during World War II. Activists in Atlanta and from many groups across the nation had denounced the commission's move.
The two paragraphs that had been deleted from the guide said: "German male homosexuals were targeted and arrested because they would not breed the master race: they were an affront to the Nazi macho image." "The doors of the third [cattle] car open and the homosexuals spill forth, males only, because as Himmler concluded, 'lesbians can give birth.' The taunting jeers, and blows of the guards stun the men. They will stay a night and then be rerouted to Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald to be with their kind. The pink triangle they will soon wear is a result of a judgment that they have broken Article 175A, by sexual act, by kissing, by embracing, by fantasy and thought. Some will be given an opportunity to recant by successfully completing sexual activity with a woman in the camp brothel. Most others will find themselves tormented from all sides as they struggle to avoid being assaulted, raped, worked, and beaten to death." Following an Atlanta protest rally—which included not only gays and lesbians but their Jewish allies as well-- activists made arrangements to meet with the Georgia Holocaust Commission and to demand a reprinting of the guide with the deleted paragraphs reinserted.
A statement of regret has been sent by the Commission to the media: "The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust regrets the misunderstanding that has arisen between the Commission and the GLBT Community. The Commission and the GLBT Community recognize the severe persecution that gay men suffered at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. It was never the intent of the Commission to ignore any Holocaust victims. "All participants look forward to continued dialogue and participation in future projects related to Holocaust education in Georgia. "All participants express deep appreciation to Randy Dobbs and the Justice Center of Atlanta, Inc. for the facilitation of our discussion and the use of their facilities. The GLBT representatives were led by the Georgia Equality Project Foundation's executive director, Harry Knox. Other members from the GLBT Community were: Jane Seville, BOD, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Steve Koval Robin Shahar Judy Colbs, President, Atlanta Chapter, Parents, Families and Friends of LGBT (PFLAG) In addition, Daniel Levitas, Executive Director, of the Georgia Rural Urban Summit participated in the discussion. The GCH representatives were: Sylvia Wygoda, Chair, GCH Rick Voyles, Education Director, GCH Alex Gross, Vice Chair, GCH Betty G. Cantor, Education Coordinator, GCH Stan Lefco, Secretary, GCH Prior to the Commission's reversal, Kerry Lobel of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force had pointedly addressed the misguided attempt at censorship:
"This decision by the commission is deeply troubling and dangerous.
The Holocaust has taught us about the insidiousness of hate and
intolerance, which can take root quickly and deeply in a society.
The Holocaust has taught us to be vigilant against hatred, intolerance,
and ignorance in all their forms and manifestations.
"As a Jew, I am chilled by this attempt to erase gay men from the pages of Holocaust history. It is hate we must erase, not history. How ironic that this curriculum, intended to teach tolerance and understanding, will now foster more misunderstanding and intolerance. "It is our hope that the commissioners will take the lessons of the Holocaust to heart. If they do, then they will have no other choice but to include in the curriculum the full truth about the persecution of gay men by the Nazis. We implore the commissioners to look to the work of the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC where the stories of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals are woven into every aspect of Holocaust history." |
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