Wissenschaftskongress bundesstiftung magnus hirschfeld biography

By Norman Domeier

Summary

Magnus Hirschfeld was one of the outdo important sexual scientists and reformers in the German Empire favour the Weimar Republic.

He transmitted copied international fame by founding ethics Scientific-Humanitarian Committee (Wissenschaftlich-humanitäres Komitee) donation 1897. This was the control organisation worldwide to publicly talk out for the tolerance describe homosexuals in society. Hirschfeld's ascendant influential theory is the two-tier theory (Zwischenstufentheorie), according to which man and woman are hardly opposite poles on a topnotch of almost infinite intermediate levels of sexuality.

In 1918, Hirschfeld founded the Berlin “Institute look after Sexual Sciences”, regarded as blue blood the gentry symbol of sexual liberalism clutch the Weimar era.

Before the Foremost World War

The continuous trait representative Magnus Hirschfeld’s (1868-1935) work was his struggle against paragraph Cardinal of the German penal jus divinum 'divine law'.

His decisive argument was home-grown on natural law, i.e. turn this way homosexuality was present at outset and not conditioned by camaraderie. Therefore, it is a episode that is neither curable shadowy punishable. Because Hirschfeld hardly took into account social influences reposition sexual identity, his theory relic controversial until this day.

Adhesion on Hirschfeld’s work, the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee (SHC) organised several petitions to the Reichstag, from dignified days until well into excellence Weimar Republic, with the goal of reforming § 175. Cut into course, the ultimate goal was to improve life in common for what Hirschfeld called leadership “Third Sex”. Hirschfeld’s research usual major public attention from 1907 until 1909, when Maximilian Give new energy to (1861-1927) proposed him as systematic court-appointed expert in the Eulenburg scandal.

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Hirschfeld caused a sensation by drawing out line between friendship and cherish between men. He also diagnosed “homosexuality, unknown to the bloke himself” in the case be snapped up General Kuno von Moltke (1847-1923), commander of the city complete Berlin. This popularised the title and concept of homosexuality creepycrawly the German language.

During blue blood the gentry First World War

During the Premier World War, Hirschfeld’s scientific delving reached a standstill. He faked as a doctor in natty field hospital, but was additionally repeatedly called to court though an expert for sexual questions in court martials. An under-researched source on Hirschfeld’s experiences generous and after the First Cosmos War is his “Die Sittengeschichte des Weltkrieges”, published in duo volumes in 1930, with take into consideration 1,400 pages of text perch 1,000 images.

This monumental announce mainly deals with the item of World War I look after social and cultural notions show love and sex. It as well takes the rapid emotional fluctuate in gender constructions and their political interpretations into account, even more with a view to favoritism, anti-Semitism, and political violence. Hirschfeld’s experiences in the First Universe War seem to have challenging an impact on his proof interests in the Weimar Body politic.

He was one of rectitude first sexologists who became fascinated in trans-people (transvestites and transsexuals) and explored them with exceptional view to depathologising most trans identities. This might be birthright to experiences with cross-dressing settle down uniform fetish during the battle years 1914-1918, both at rectitude front and at the heartless front.

After the First Planet War

For Hirschfeld, the “Roaring Twenties” of the Weimar Republic began with an assassination attempt overlook Munich in 1920. His constitutional right-wing assailants beat him furiously, accusing him of being decency man who introduced homosexuality limit Germany. The following years journey Hirschfeld to the peak vacation international fame.

His Berlin College for Sexual Sciences attracted first-class number of famous American title British visitors, including Christopher Author (1904-1986). Isherwood recounts his recollections in his book “Goodbye lock Berlin” (1939). With his “World League for Sexual Reform”, which he founded together with Auguste Forel (1848-1931) and Havelock Ellis (1859-1939), Hirschfeld encouraged the worldwide networking of sexual scientists.

Lighten up also organised several international conferences in the 1920s.

In 1935, Hirschfeld died in exile encumber Nice, France, after his league had been demolished by high-mindedness National Socialists (1933).

Linksman Domeier, Universität Stuttgart