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Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld

Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld relaxing on a couch with a smile on his face

Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, Jewish physician, sexologist, LGBTQ and womens rights activist

Per Scienctiam ad Justitiam

I have chosen to memorialize the life and humanitarian works of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld on this site as a stark reminder to us all that the past is not left in the past. We carry it with us every day. The same forces that ransacked Hirschfeld's institute in 1933 and burned research materials are active today, censoring and ransacking invaluable US government resources even tertiarily related to securing human rights for marginalized communities. They are sending ICE to schools to capture parents picking up their children. They are systematically targeting our nations educational foundations and stripping our reproductive rights.

We must not give in. We must not accept the xenophobia, the psuedoscience, and the absurdities of fascism.

We are othered. We are villified. We will not be erased.



Unlike many who saw the rise of Nazi regime and ideology as an abberation or exception, Hirschfeld believed it was deeply rooted in modern society. He saw Nazi ideology as merely an extreme application of prejudices, racism, and psuedoscience already found across the Western world. The only difference he said, was one of degree.

"In search of sanctuary, I have found my way to that country, the nobility of whose traditions, and whose ever-present charm, have already been as balm to my soul. I shall be glad and grateful if I can spend some few years of peace and repose in France and Paris, and still more grateful to be enabled to repay the hospitality accorded to me, by making available those abundant stores of knowledge acquired throughout my career." - Magnus Hirschfeld - L'Âme et l'amour, psychologie sexologique (The Human Spirit and Love: Sexological Psychology, published April 1935)

In spite of Nazi attempts to erase all trace of him and his works, Hirschfeld's legacy would live on and inspire the formation of many more activist organizations dedicated to the liberation and protection of oppressed minorities.