I don't know if this is the right place for this post, but it's about a coming out story, so here goes. I just finished reading The Men with the Pink Triangle, by Heinz Heger. It is a memoir about his life in a Nazi concentration camp as a gay man. It is believed to be the only surviving account of life as someone who was imprisoned in a concentration camp for being gay, among the thousands of gay victims. I was incredibly moved by his entire account, but I wanted to post a quotation from one part of the account. Before the Nazi invasion of Heger's native Austria, and he was arrested for being gay, he described coming out to his mother at age 19. Here is his account of her reaction: "'My dear child,' she replied, 'it's your life, and you must live it. No one can slip out of one skin and into another; you have to make the best of what you are. If you think you can find happiness only with another man, that doesn't make you in any way inferior. Just be careful to avoid bad company, and guard against blackmail, as this is a possible danger. Try to find lasting friendship, as this will protect you from many perils. I've suspected it for a long time, anyway. You have no need at all to despair. Follow my advice, and remember, whatever happens, you are my son and can always come to me with your problems.'" (The Men with the Pink Triangle, by Heinz Heger, at pg. 18 (Alyson Books, 2d ed, 1994)). The account - and his mother's unconditional love - had me in tears. I highly recommend the book. It's short - only about 120 pages, including a very good introduction that places the entire account in historical context. The inhumanity of the concentration camps is often difficult to handle, so the account is very emotionally draining, but the account is such an important aspect of our heritage. Here's the Google Books link to the book, for more information: http://books.google.com/books?id=cYIlhr8ygHkC
Thanks for the recommendation, I'm definitely going to check that out! I feel like teh gays in our society are regarded as a bunch of unimportant complainers who want to draw attention away from the truly oppressed. Obviously this isn't the case.
Thanks for posting, you're right it is very inspiring. I think I saw a movie about this guy, based on the book you mentioned... I can't remember what it was called though. Edit: I believe it was called Bent
I read that book about a year ago. I thought it was one of the finest books I have ever read. It is a very difficult book to read, as it is so upsetting and depressing, but it is so worth the read. Everybody really should read this book.
