GCCR is proud to announce that the exhibit Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933 – 1945, on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will be on display in our Gallery beginning September 19th, 2010. The story of what happened to homosexuals in Nazi Germany is the subject of the exhibition, which was more than two years in development and is the first major exhibition on the subject for English-speaking audiences. Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933 – 1945 draws on materials from more than 40 archives and other repositories in eight countries.

Nazi policy asserted that homosexual men carried a “degeneracy” that threatened the “disciplined masculinity” of Germany. Under Paragraph 175 of the German criminal code, male homosexuality was illegal in Nazi Germany. Ted Phillips, the exhibit's curator in Washington, said Paragraph 175 had grown from an 18th century Prussian law. "When Germany unified those states in 1871, it became the law of the German Reich," he said. The law was named Paragraph 175 in 1935 when the Nazis revised it.

The original law, Phillips said, was interpreted narrowly by the courts, and specified "unnatural relations between men." The Nazis rewrote the law in "such a way that Nazi courts interpreted the law extremely broadly," Phillips said. "Any kind of act between men could become criminal. The original law was difficult to prosecute. The new law was very easy." By 1938, even looks or touching between men could be criminalized. Phillips said punishment under the original law was up to two years in prison. Punishment under the Nazis ranged from sentences of three or four months to longer sentences, which usually meant hard labor. But some homosexuals were sent to concentration camps without judicial proceedings.

The law did not mention homosexuality between women. Thompson said that was because gay women can still procreate. Lesbians were also seen as less of a threat because women did not have much political power. The Nazis arrested an estimated 100,000 homosexual men, 50,000 of whom were imprisoned. Between 5,000 and 15,000 gay men were interned in concentration camps in Nazi Germany. These prisoners were marked by pink triangle badges and were among the most abused groups in the camps.

“The exhibition explores why homosexual behavior was identified as a danger to Nazi society and how the Nazi regime attempted to eliminate it,” says exhibition curator Edward Phillips. “The Nazis believed it was possible to ‘cure’ homosexual behavior through labor and ‘re-education.’” Gay men were subject to castration, institutionalization, and deportation to concentration camps. (Click "read more" below to learn more about the exhibit.)

The Gay Community Center of Richmond and GayRVA have partnered to create the city’s first online network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered-friendly businesses. The Richmond Business Alliance (RBA) is a comprehensive directory of LGBT-friendly businesses and professionals in Central Virginia. GCCR and GayRVA created the new website, RichmondBusinessAlliance.com, to host free and premium directory listings across multiple online channels.

“This program will showcase Richmond as an inclusive community while building support for local businesses,” said GCCR President Jay Squires. “With the rough economic times that we’ve seen over the past few years, it makes good business sense to be open for all.”

Listings will also be available through GayRichmond.com, GayRVA.com and VisitRichmondVa.com/rainbow beginning this week. With all listings, businesses receive an “Easy to Love” rainbow sticker to publicly designate their establishment as LGBT-friendly.

“This is an exciting opportunity to carryout the mission of both of our organizations,” said Kevin Clay, editor and founder of GayRVA. “By partnering on this project, we are creating a network that will have a dynamic impact on the Richmond Region, its diversity, and economic vitality. It’s long overdue.”

A special networking event to celebrate the program’s launch will be hosted on September 9 as part of Virginia Pride Month. One of Richmond’s newest restaurants, The Empress, plays host to the cocktail hour where business owners will be able to register and receive their “Easy To Love” sticker at the event. Everyone who adds their business, service or organization to the RBA website will be invited to the event.

See the website and include your business, service or organization here.