In Bed With The Right Episode 128 -- Queer Women in Nazi Germany
Mar 24, 2026
Sam Huneke, historian of queer history and modern Germany, discusses research on queer women under Nazism. He traces Weimar visibility, Nazi suppression, legal ambiguity, surveillance, denunciations, and why female sexuality was treated differently. The conversation covers contested histories, memorial debates, trans persecution, and acts of agency and survival.
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Lesbianism Considered Then Rejected From Criminalization
- Nazis considered criminalizing female homosexuality but ultimately refused, producing discretionary policing instead.
- Huneke notes 1935 paragraph 175 strengthening targeted men; female homosexuality was debated and explicitly rejected.
Weimar Cities Enabled A Flourishing Queer Public
- Weimar offered urban queer visibility with organizations, periodicals, and activism.
- Huneke highlights trans and lesbian periodicals, clubs, and near-reform attempts to paragraph 175 in 1929 despite continued danger.
Night Of Long Knives Intensified Homophobic Repression
- Nazis shut down queer culture swiftly after 1933 but full-scale repression escalated after the Night of Long Knives.
- Huneke links 1934 purge, Röhm's exposure, and Himmler's ascent to intensified homophobic policy.
