Antisemitism and Homophobia in Nazi Germany: Commonalities and Differences, Oct. 11

At Nazism’s very core was its hierarchy of human beings. At the top of the racial ladder, the only people deemed fully human, were the “Aryans.” On the bottom rung were the Jews, portrayed as less than human and fit only for extermination, either through forced labor or in the death camps of Poland. “Aryan” homosexuals threatened the Nazi dream of a racial utopia. By failing to father children, these males impeded the Nazi plan to one day rule the world. As a result, they were labeled enemies of the Fatherland, subjected to brutal persecution, and sent to concentration or slave labor camps. The Nazis believed that lesbians could be physically compelled to bear children.

In this lecture, on National Coming Out Day, distinguished historian Peter Hayes examines antisemitism and homophobia as central components of Nazi racism and explores their commonalities and differences. Peter Hayes is the author or editor of ten books, including “The Oxford Handbook of Holocaust Studies” (2010) and a prize-winning study of the IG Farben corporation in the Nazi era. He is currently at work on two books, “Profits and Persecution: German Big Business and the Holocaust” and “The Failure of a Generation: German Elites and National Socialism.” Professor Hayes is the recipient of Northwestern University’s highest honor for outstanding teaching, the Charles Deering McCormick Professorship of Teaching Excellence. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Yale University.