Magnus Hirschfeld
Magnus Hirschfeld | |
|---|---|
Hirschfeld in 1932 | |
| Born | 14 May 1868 Kolberg, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 14 May 1935 (aged 67) Nice, France |
| Resting place | Body cremated; ashes interred in Caucade Cemetery, Nice |
| Citizenship | German (revoked by the Nazis) |
| Known for | Pioneering sexology Advocating for LGBTQ rights |
| Partners | |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Sexology |
| Institutions | Institut für Sexualwissenschaft |
Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was a German physician, sexologist and LGBTQ advocate, whose German citizenship was later revoked by the Nazi government. Hirschfeld was educated in philosophy, philology and medicine. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee and World League for Sexual Reform. He based his practice in Berlin-Charlottenburg during the Weimar period. Performance Studies and Rhetoric Professor Dustin Goltz characterized the committee as having carried out "the first advocacy for homosexual and transgender rights".
Hirschfeld is regarded as one of the most influential sexologists of the 20th century. He was targeted by early fascists and later the Nazis for being Jewish and gay. He was beaten by völkisch activists in 1920, and in 1933 his Institut für Sexualwissenschaft was looted and had its books burned by Nazis. Hirschfeld was forced into exile in France, where he died in 1935.