Karl Gorath
Encyclopedia
Karl Gorath was a gay
man who was arrested in 1938 and imprisoned for homosexuality
at Neuengamme and Auschwitz. He was freed in 1945.
Gorath was training for a nursing career when, at 26, he was denounced as a homosexual by his "jealous lover" and arrested under Paragraph 175
of the criminal code, which defined homosexuality as an "unnatural act".
Gorath was imprisoned at Neuengamme near Hamburg
, Germany and was forced to wear a pink triangle
, identifying him as gay and a transvestite
.
Because of his medical training, Gorath was transferred to work at a prisoner hospital in a sub-camp of Neuengamme. When he refused to decrease the bread ration for patients who were Poles
, Gorath was transferred to Auschwitz. There he wore the red triangle of a political prisoner
, which he believed spared him the brutality inflicted on inmates identified as gay. In January 1945, Gorath was freed when the Allies
liberated Auschwitz.
Gorath is one of six gay men who are the subject of a documentary
on gays in Nazi concentration camps. The film, by producers Jeffrey Friedman
and Rob Epstein
and narrated by Rupert Everett
, is called Paragraph 175
.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man who was arrested in 1938 and imprisoned for homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
at Neuengamme and Auschwitz. He was freed in 1945.
Gorath was training for a nursing career when, at 26, he was denounced as a homosexual by his "jealous lover" and arrested under Paragraph 175
Paragraph 175
Paragraph 175 was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made homosexual acts between males a crime, and in early revisions the provision also criminalized bestiality. All in all, around 140,000 men were convicted under the law.The statute was amended several...
of the criminal code, which defined homosexuality as an "unnatural act".
Gorath was imprisoned at Neuengamme near Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany and was forced to wear a pink triangle
Pink triangle
The pink triangle was one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, used to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. Every prisoner had to wear a downward-pointing triangle on his or her jacket, the colour of which was to categorise him or her by "kind"...
, identifying him as gay and a transvestite
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
.
Because of his medical training, Gorath was transferred to work at a prisoner hospital in a sub-camp of Neuengamme. When he refused to decrease the bread ration for patients who were Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, Gorath was transferred to Auschwitz. There he wore the red triangle of a political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
, which he believed spared him the brutality inflicted on inmates identified as gay. In January 1945, Gorath was freed when the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
liberated Auschwitz.
Gorath is one of six gay men who are the subject of a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on gays in Nazi concentration camps. The film, by producers Jeffrey Friedman
Jeffrey Friedman (filmmaker)
Jeffrey Friedman is a non-fiction filmmaker, director, producer, writer and editor. Friedman has won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt....
and Rob Epstein
Rob Epstein
Rob Epstein, also credited as Robert P. Epstein, is a director, producer, writer and editor. Epstein has won two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature for the films The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt....
and narrated by Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
, is called Paragraph 175
Paragraph 175 (film)
Paragraph 175 is a documentary film released in 2000, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, and narrated by Rupert Everett. The film was produced by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Janet Cole, Michael Ehrenzweig, Sheila Nevins and Howard Rosenman. The film chronicles the lives of several gay...
.