Persecution of Sexual Dissidents since World War II
A lecture by Prof. William Spurlin, Brunel University London, UK
Operating on the premise that nazi homophobia must not be reduced to a momentary aberration in history, the main focus
of the lecture addresses the ways in which homophobia continued to find expression in the post-war criminalisation of
homosexuality in both the former West and East Germany, and the failure to recognise more broadly across Europe the
crimes perpetrated against gay and lesbian victims of nazi atrocities.
The lecture also examines medical and social discourses about homosexuality that repathologised it in the early days of
the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the West whilst examining continued pathologisations and stigmas in the postcolonial and
developing world around HIV/AIDS. The lecture concludes by addressing gender and sexual rights as human rights and
addressing violent crimes that continue to be perpetuated against gender-atypical children, gay men, the transgendered,
and lesbians in the present day, as well as the continued criminalisation of homosexuality in many parts of the world.
By illuminating the ways in which homophobia intersects with other forms of domination and continues to shape
contemporary society and culture, and by approaching historical sources on the Holocaust and National Socialism with new
questions about sexuality and gender, we deepen the meaning of the Holocaust and help shape its ongoing significance.
St Andrews on the Terrace, 30 The Terrace, Wellington 12:15pm Tuesday 8 March. No charge, koha welcomed.