Magnus Hirschfeld
Magnus Hirschfeld was a sexologist and a pioneer of queer emancipation. He campaigned against the persecution of gay people.
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Magnus Hirschfeld
Posture
Magnus Hirschfeld wanted people to be able to live without state persecution, regardless of their sexual orientation. As a doctor and sexologist, he rejected the notion that same-sex desire was an illness or a crime.
He combined research with political activism. He believed that scientific findings should help to break down prejudices and bring about social change. This was particularly evident in his campaign against Paragraph 175, which criminalised sexual acts between men.
His views must also be viewed critically: Hirschfeld explored eugenic ideas which are today rejected for good reason. His life’s work therefore combines important contributions to emancipation with academic approaches that cannot be accepted uncritically.
Who was Magnus Hirschfeld?
Magnus Hirschfeld was a German doctor, sexologist and pioneer of the gay rights movement. In 1897, he and his colleagues founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee. In 1919, he opened the Institute for Sexology in Berlin. As a Jew and a well-known opponent of discrimination against homosexual people, he was targeted by the Nazis. After his institute was destroyed in 1933, he lived in exile.
Effect
Fighting against Section 175
Through the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, Hirschfeld campaigned for the decriminalisation of sexual acts between men. A petition to this effect submitted to the Reichstag was initially unsuccessful.
Developing sexology
With the Berlin Institute for Sexology, Hirschfeld established a centre for research, counselling and public education on sexuality and gender.
Making diversity visible
Hirschfeld explored various forms of sexual desire and gender expression. The concepts and explanatory models he used at the time do not always correspond to our current understanding.
Moments
Key milestones in the life and work of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Born in Kolberg
Magnus Hirschfeld was born on 14 May in Kolberg to a Jewish family.
Scientific and Humanitarian Committee
In Berlin, Hirschfeld and a number of fellow campaigners set up an organisation dedicated to fighting the criminalisation of sexual acts between men.
Institute for Sexology
Hirschfeld opens the Institute for Sexology in Berlin. In the same year, he appears in the film *Anders als die Andern*.
World League for Sexual Reform
The World League for Sexual Reform is founded at a congress in Copenhagen, with Hirschfeld playing a part in its establishment.
International lecture tour
Hirschfeld embarks on an extended tour of lectures outside Germany. Due to the threat posed by the Nazis, he does not return.
Destruction of the Institute
The Nazis looted and destroyed the Berlin institute. Parts of its library were destroyed in the book burning.
Death in Exile
Magnus Hirschfeld died in Nice on 14 May, his 67th birthday.
Community
When Magnus Hirschfeld began his work, sexual acts between men were a criminal offence in Germany. Many of those affected had to fear social ostracism, blackmail or criminal prosecution. Hirschfeld campaigned publicly to put an end to this exclusion.
His Scientific and Humanitarian Committee was one of the first organised movements for the rights of homosexual people. Through his institute and his involvement in the film *Anders als die Andern* (*Different from the Others*), he also raised issues that were often kept out of the public eye.
Hirschfeld himself had relationships with men. His long-term partners included Karl Giese and Li Shiu Tong. His life and his activism are now part of queer history. At the same time, his historical views on sexuality and gender should not be equated with how people identify themselves today.
Meaning
Magnus Hirschfeld combined early sex research with the campaign against the criminalisation of homosexual people. His work and the destruction of his institute form part of Germany’s queer history.
Emancipation
As early as the late 19th century, the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee was organising resistance against the criminal prosecution of homosexual men.
Clarification
Hirschfeld made sexuality and gender the subject of research, counselling and public debate.
Reminder
The Nazi destruction of his institute symbolises the systematic persecution of queer people and the annihilation of academic work.
Critical analysis
Alongside his emancipatory aims, his eugenic views also form part of the history of his work. They must be assessed critically.
Easy language
Magnus Hirschfeld was a doctor from Germany. He was born in 1868. He conducted research into sexuality and gender.
Together with others, he set up an organisation. Its aim was to repeal a law under which men could be punished for having sex with other men. Later, he founded a research institute in Berlin.
Magnus Hirschfeld championed the cause of gay people. He wanted them to be able to live without fear or persecution.
He said: ‘Homosexuality is not an illness. People should not be punished because of their sexuality.’ We now take a critical view of some of his views from that time.
The Nazis destroyed his institute. Hirschfeld later lived abroad. To this day, people remember his commitment to combating exclusion.
Frequently asked questions about Magnus Hirschfeld
Answers to questions about Magnus Hirschfeld, the Institute for Sexual Research and his campaign against the persecution of homosexual people.
Who was Magnus Hirschfeld?
Magnus Hirschfeld was a German doctor and sexologist. He was an early advocate for the rights of homosexual people and founded the Institute for Sexology in Berlin in 1919.
When and where was Magnus Hirschfeld born?
He was born on 14 May 1868 in Kolberg, Prussia. The town is now in Poland and is called Kołobrzeg.
What was the Scientific and Humanitarian Committee?
The committee was founded in 1897 by Hirschfeld and his colleagues. Its main aim was to campaign against the criminalisation of sexual acts between men.
What was Section 175?
Section 175 was a criminal provision that criminalised sexual acts between men. Hirschfeld campaigned for its abolition.
What was the Institute for Sexology?
The institute, which opened in Berlin in 1919, was a centre for research, counselling and education on sexuality and gender.
What happened to Hirschfeld’s institute in 1933?
The Nazis looted and destroyed the institute. Some of its books and documents were destroyed during the Nazi book burnings.
When did Magnus Hirschfeld die?
Magnus Hirschfeld died on 14 May 1935, on his 67th birthday, in Nice, France.
