New evidence reveals Germany castrated gay men decades after Nazi rule ended
It’s been revealed that gay men were castrated in exchange of shorter prison sentences in Germany.
The act is said to have been happening up until the late 1960s, according to historian Jens Kolata.
The shocking discovery was made as the historian investigated abuses during Nazi rule – only to find some continued long after.
He found that similar practices of so called “voluntary unmanning” continued as late as 1969.
In reality the men did not agree voluntarily, but were persecuted and bullied until they agreed to be castrated, along with sex offenders.
The alleged cases happened in the Hohenasperg fortress, a prison hospital in the state of Baden-Württemberg, which remains today.
Mr Kolata told the newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung that he stumbled across notes by a psychologist proving the operations took place.
Nikolaus Heim had written of the acts during the era, leaving an untold history of abuse and castration.
The act of castration continued up until 1978, with 12 of the 51 castration reports pertaining to men who had sex with men.
One man, Gustav, spoke of being castrated in a 1996 radio interview.
He told the host that he was bullied into the act – told that he would never get freedom if he didn’t accept the castration.
Shortly after the act, homosexuality was decriminalised in Germany.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said they “unconditionally” want to clarify the claims.
