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A leading researcher of sex, sexuality, and gender, German Jewish doctor Magnus Hirschfeld was forced to live in exile after the Nazi rise to power.

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How does Hirschfeld's work & subsequent persecution continue to impact queer medical care in the US today?

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Magnus Hirschfeld was born to a Jewish family in 1868 in what is now Poland. He went through college and mandated military service, becoming a doctor in 1892. He would later travel to different countries, including the US. The city of Chicago and its "homosexual subculture" is what piqued his interest in human sexuality research.

He was in a long-term relationship with archivist Karl Giese, "Hirschfeld never made his own sexuality or his personal life part of his public profile. However, his years-long romantic partnership with Karl Giese would become an open secret later in his life" (US Holocaust Memorial Museum). Later, he would be with his protégé Li Shiu Tong. Hirschfeld's Jewish, queer identity informed his experiences and may have aided in his work and understanding of his patients.

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Today, medical care has advanced greatly. For the LGBTQ+ community, this is in large part due to Magnus Hirschfeld. Even though the Institute of Sexology's library was destroyed, researchers would continue to support the LGBTQ+ community and provide life-saving medical care. Hirschfeld's contributions laid the groundwork for many gay rights cases, raised awareness for these issues, and provided millions of people with education and medical care. Today's medical field is a much stronger supportive space for LGBTQ+ members. Gender affirming care is more expansive, mental health options for queer people is becoming more widespread, and conception options for LGBTQ+ parents are more widely available. There are still challenges, however. Backlash from more conservative parties and legislative rollbacks are prevalent, and frustrating. Hopefully, through continued activism and support on levels both communal and governmental, public opinion will be swayed again.

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LGBTQ Rights Timeline in American History » Teaching LGBTQ History

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LGBTQ Rights Timeline in American History This timeline is organized in units that are typically taught in middle school and high school U.S. History classrooms and is consistent with the people and events listed in the new California History-Social Science Framework (2016). Our Family Coalition wil…

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Magnus Hirschfeld's research and advocacy through science was the work of a pioneer. Hirschfeld operated under the motto, "Through science to justice." His work on human sexuality and the gender spectrum theorized that sexuality was innate and that transgender people needed to live as they are. His own Jewish, queer identity may have aided in researching different perspectives on gender and sexuality, which illustrates the importance of inclusive care. Even today, medical professionals with intersectional identities and different experiences help acknowledge and break down barriers for stronger, community-based care. Hirschfeld provided LGBTQ+ people with sexual health education, pushed for legal protections, community resources, and aided in outlining inclusive care. His work laid the groundwork for more queer-inclusive care and was one of the first major Western theorists to advocate for gay rights.

Today we are seeing rollbacks in LGBTQ-inclusive care that mirror several sentiments held by the Nazis. Gender affirming hormone therapies, surgeries, and reproductive care are a few major areas experiencing intense backlash and restrictions. Sexual health education continues to be limited, even more so now with homophobic and transphobic sentiments on the rise again. Progressive sexual health policies at the government level are beneficial to the entire population, promoting safety and making it clear that we care about one another despite differences. Medical care like what Hirschfeld provided is what inspired many medical professionals and gay rights activists to push so hard for LGBTQ-inclusive care. It is a necessary part of our society and our community wellbeing.

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The Nazis rejected any different look at gender and sexuality, which ignored hundreds of thousands of years of humanity's exploration of gender and sexuality. They set their sights on Hirschfeld's research, who was "Jewish, gay, and outspokenly liberal" (Holocaust Memorial Day Trust). On May 6th, 1933, the Nazis looted the Institute of Sexology. They stole the entire library contents and destroyed them, "Several days later, on 10 May, the entire contents of the library were removed to Berlin’s Bebelplatz Square. That night, along with 20,000 other books across Germany, they were publicly burned in a symbolic attack by Nazi officials on their enemies" (Holocaust Memorial Day Trust). This attack on research set back worlds of education and endangered millions of queer people. As the Holocaust continued, the Nazis continued to criminalize homosexuality and the detrimental effects would outlast their regime.

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Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | 6 May 1933: Looting of the Institute of Sexology

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On 6 May 1933, the Institute of Sexology, an academic foundation devoted to sexological research and the advocacy of homosexual rights, was broken into and occupied by Nazi-supporting youth. Several days later the entire contents of the library were removed and burned.

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"Magnus Hirschfeld and the Institute for Sexual Science" 

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"Magnus Hirschfeld and the Institute for Sexual Science" 

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Chicago mirrored a lot of the homosexual subculture in Berlin. He began to study homosexuality as a phenomenon around the world, and returned to Germany to open a "naturopathic practice." He worked with many homosexual patients who experienced intense suicidal thoughts and actions, working to alleviate their symptoms. He later branched into the entire LGBTQ+ community, at the time called the LGBTI+ community. He engaged in science-based activism, "He published books, journal articles and pamphlets to share his research on gender and sexuality with the public. In 1897, he founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee" (Bryan-Quamina, 2024). He distributed sex education pamphlets to the public, with emphasis on homosexuality, which benefited both homosexual and heterosexual communities. He prescribed medical certificates for transgender people to prevent police from harassing them. He opened the Institute of Sexology in 1919, which became a major research center and safe haven for LGBTQ+ people in Berlin. Unlike other theorists and doctors of the time, he believed that homosexuality was innate and supported transgender people in their transitions. The institute performed some of the first successful gender affirming surgeries for trans women and men, famously including the painter Lili Elbe. The care that queer patients received here was lifesaving.

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Magnus Hirschfeld and the Institute for Sexual Science - Science Museum Blog

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To mark LGBT+ History Month and its theme of medicine, we explore the life and work of doctor Magnus Hirschfeld, a researcher of sexuality and gender in the early twentieth century.

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Through Knowledge to Justice: The Sexual World of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld - GLBT Historical Society

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This exhibition offered an introduction to Hirschfeld's life, work and legacy, featuring first editions, vintage periodicals and ephemera largely drawn from the collection assembled by curator Gerard Koskovich over the past three decades. In addition, the exhibition included historic film documenting Hirschfeld's impact and the fate of his work.

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This is the PDF to the first of Magnus Hirschfeld's five-volume survey of sexual knowledge. In English, the title is "Gender Studies."

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“Through Science to Justice”: The Story of Magnus Hirschfeld, a Gay Jewish Trailblazer - Keshet

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On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we face increased antisemitism and continued attacks on LGBTQ+ rights today, we draw strength from our