2025/06/01 by Friedman, Sara, Ganor, Sheer, Marhoefer, Laurie 1978- +2 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #European history and politics
paper · doi:10.1093/gerhis/ghaf030
openalex publication_date 2025/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Abstract The Weimar Republic looms large in the histories of queer liberation and sexual reform movements, both in Europe and transnationally. The promise of increased openness and plurality that shaped public discourse on a variety of issues in Germany’s first democracy was especially pronounced in the realms of sexual politics and gender identities. Within this progressive environment, the Institute for Sexual Science, established in Berlin in 1919, became the epicentre of new approaches in advocacy, policy-making and medical research related to gender and sexual reform, and Magnus Hirschfeld, its founder and director, came to personify the institute’s mission and values. In recent decades, a memory paradigm has emerged that celebrates Hirschfeld as a trail-blazing force who spearheaded the modern queer-rights and gender-equality movements. Responding to this trend, recent scholarly works have sought to present a more nuanced analysis of his legacy, including shining a light on disturbing facets of his politics and his scientific work. The short essays in this Forum, by members of an emerging generation of scholars in German history, queer studies, and the history of sexuality and gender, bring forth new perspectives on Hirschfeld and his legacy.