The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals

Richard Plant

Henry Holt and Company, Apr 1, 2011 - Social Science - 272 pages

This is the first comprehensive book in English on the fate of the homosexuals in Nazi Germany. The author, a German refugee, examines the climate and conditions that gave rise to a vicious campaign against Germany’s gays, as directed by Himmler and his SS--persecution that resulted in tens of thousands of arrests and thousands of deaths.

In this Nazi crusade, homosexual prisoners were confined to death camps where, forced to wear pink triangles, they constituted the lowest rung in the camp hierarchy. The horror of camp life is described through diaries, previously untranslated documents, and interviews with and letters from survivors, revealing how the anti-homosexual campaign was conducted, the crackpot homophobic fantasies that fueled it, the men who made it possible, and those who were its victims, this chilling book sheds light on a corner of twentieth-century history that has been hidden in the shadows much too long.

What people are saying

Review: The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals

User Review  - Samantha - Goodreads

Gives a new perspective to the Nazi's reign through the lenses of a smaller, oft reviewed group. It brings focus that many groups were targeted for ridiculous reasons.

Review: The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals

User Review  - Douglas - Goodreads

The only vaguely engaging part was the epilogue.

About the author

Richard Plant was born in Frankfurt and was a graduate of the University of Basel, where he earned his Ph.D. Since emigrating to the United States in 1938, he has contributed numerous articles to many publications, and teaches at the New School for Social Research in New York City.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals
• Author: Richard Plant
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, 2011
• ISBN: 1429936932, 9781429936934
• Length: 272 pages
• Subjects: History / Holocaust; Social Science / Gay Studies