Holocaust exhibit opens with speech on Nazi Germany

“Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals, 1933-1945” opened Monday at the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery with a small introductory ceremony and will be at the Union until April 25.

The exhibit, sponsored by Union Board and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services, begins in the lobby of the Union, continues into the Mezzanine and East Tower and ends in the Union Gallery.

“Even if someone only sees one panel, that would still be beneficial,” said GLBT office coordinator Doug Bauder.

It contains more than 250 photos and documents from Nazi Germany and is one of the first major exhibits on the subject for English-speaking audiences.

Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld, professor of English and Jewish Studies, spoke on the history of Germany, the nature of the exhibit and the current state of Germany at the opening reception.

He said today Germany’s Foreign Minister and the mayor of Berlin are both openly gay and that persecution does not exist there now the way it had in the past.

Sophomore Rachael Richter said she found the beginning of the exhibit particularly interesting when it presented the Nazi reasoning behind the persecution.

Senior Katie Allen said she had seen the exhibit before while it was traveling but went to see it again.

“People don’t realize how many people were included in the persecution,” she said.
The exhibit not only speaks about the past but also relates to issues happening today, Bauder said.

He related the Nazi persecution to a current issue in Uganda, in which legislation was passed criminalizing homosexuality, and there was proposed legislation to make it punishable by death.

Senior Christa Ziegler said she attended the event at the suggestion of her human sexuality professor.

Bauder said there were two other events in the works for the exhibit: a showing of a film about the law in Nazi Germany, Paragraph 175, and a lecture on the exhibit.
Senior Kelsey Riggan said she was excited to see more and is definitely interested in attending later events.

“It was a good taste of what’s to come,” she said.