Honoring Gay Holocaust Victims
Tel Aviv officials have announced plans to construct a monument in honor of gay and lesbian Holocaust victims. The triangular monument, inscribed with victims' names, was designed by a member of the Tel Aviv Municipal City Council and will memorialize the thousands of homosexuals persecuted during the Holocaust. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Web site estimates that between 5,000 and 15,000 gay men were imprisoned in concentration camps from 1933-1945.
In a country where gay pride parades are still heavily protested, this memorial bears special significance by showing public respect for the dead and the victimized, regardless of sexual orientation. Similar memorials already exist in Denmark, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands -- good for Israel for joining the pack.