Berlin unveiled a memorial this morning to the estimated 10,000-15,000 homosexuals who died under Hitler’s Nazi regime. Around 50,000 homosexual men were convicted as criminals during the Holocaust after being declared a threat to the German race.
The monument features a window for visitors to gaze into, where a monitor plays a video of two men kissing. Berlin’s mayor said that it is a reminder of the struggles that gay persons are still experiencing today.
The designers’ original plan to feature only a video of two men kissing ran into criticism that lesbians were left out. Last year, a compromise was reached to change the memorial’s video every two years, allowing lesbian couples to be shown in the future.
The first film — a repeating clip of two men kissing, shot at the site of the memorial before it was built — was done by photographer Robby Mueller and directed by Denmark’s Thomas Vinterberg.
“It was quite important to have a direct imagery of a love scene, a passionate scene … because that is the main problem in homophobia,” designer Elmgreen told AP Television News. “You can get acceptance on an abstract level, but they don’t want to look at us.”
2 Comments
One of the things I appreciate about your blog, Brian, is that it helps me be aware of what I might otherwise miss. This is such an important post–and an important monument. Wish we could have a field trip.
@ Karen: I would love to see it in real life. It’s a wonderful thing and it’s about time.