Discrepant Oppression: Lesbian Women’s Existence during the National Socialist Period in Germany

Abstract

This research focuses on the oppression and existence of lesbian women during the National Socialist period of German history. This research also places emphasis on the importance of incorporating a lens of gender and sexuality to the study of history. This research primarily draws upon the life stories of lesbian women collected by Claudia Schoppmann, a historian of German women. This research also draws upon National Socialist propaganda and government documents. Most prior scholarship on gender and sexuality under National Socialism and the Holocaust does not include the experiences and persecution of lesbian women at all. This lack of inclusion undermines the scholarship on gender and sexuality under National Socialism and the Holocaust and also contributes to the delegitimization and erasure of the existence and memory of lesbian women in history.