„Warm brothers“ on trial: The image of the male homosexual as constructed by homosexuals themselves and by others during the NS period in Austria

Abstract

Abstract: Based on the court records of 1,500 men accused of homosexual conduct from the Viennese Civil Courts and Military Courts from Austria under National Socialist rule, a sample of 434 men was selected randomly and analyzed quantitatively. The article aims to provide the most comprehensive survey hitherto of the self-perceptions of male homosexuals and of the ways they were perceived by others in that period. The descriptions of identities that were used in the selected case histories by the persecuting authorities and as self-definition by the victims were collected and interpreted in accordance with international discussions that have taken place in historical gender and LGBTIQ Studies. Additionally, the social background of the persecuted men and information on the structure and extent of the persecution were analyzed.Abstract: Based on the court records of 1,500 men accused of homosexual conduct from the Viennese Civil Courts and Military Courts from Austria under National Socialist rule, a sample of 434 men was selected randomly and analyzed quantitatively. The article aims to provide the most comprehensive survey hitherto of the self-perceptions of male homosexuals and of the ways they were perceived by others in that period. The descriptions of identities that were used in the selected case histories by the persecuting authorities and as self-definition by the victims were collected and interpreted in accordance with international discussions that have taken place in historical gender and LGBTIQ Studies. Additionally, the social background of the persecuted men and information on the structure and extent of the persecution were analyzed

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