The most controversial and a kind man, Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was born as Jewish to a physician, Hermann Hirschfeld, in Poland. After his medical degree in 1892, he traveled for eight months in the United States, Chicago. His interest dive him deep for homosexual culture and their people. Berlin and Chicago taught him two different homes of sexual subculture. From that, he developed a theory of homosexuality around the world. The profound research about the existence of gay in Tokyo, Tangier, and Rio de Janciro. In 1896, he liked to learn and practice naturopathy in Magdeburg.
I met Magnus Hirschfeld through a friend of mine, I found him a very sympathetic gentleman.
Michael Ritterman
His inclination toward the theory of love became more interesting and important when his gay patients took their lives. Hirschfeld was a kind and open-minded. Through his work, he always represented Germany. However, in 1906–9 he was caught in “Harden–Eulenburg affair”, a sex scandal which was widely famous in Imperial Germany. “While I was there, all homosexuals were transported away to Mauthausen and almost all perished.” Heing F (Paragraph 175)
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The more we delve into the essence of personality, the more we learn that in this world, certainly rich with natural beauty and things worthy of seeing, nothing is more attractive and worthier of knowing and experiencing than people.
Magnus Hirschfeld, Transvestites: The Erotic Drive to Cross-Dress
Belief and Findings
The Vossische Zeitung: “A freak who acted for freaks in the name of pseudoscience.”
At the beginning, Hirschfeld believed homosexuals made of “third sex” and continued his studies and jumped away to find more relative studies of sexology. His hard works, studies and researched practices gained enormous amount of work throughout of his life. In 1897, Hirschfeld with Max Spohr, Franz Josef von Bülow, and Eduard Oberg founded an organization called “Scientific Humanitarian Committee”. He believed that the homosexuality is a plan of nature creation like another love. Hirschfeld testified “homosexuality was part of the plan of nature and creation just like normal love”. This testimony and thus it brought heavy cyclone in the entire Germany. The editor of “The Vossische Zeitung” newspaper called Hirschfeld a freak upon his asseveration on homosexual findings.
Achievements and Hurdles
Some achievements and hurdles in the life of Magnus Hirschfeld during the life in year wise.
- 1897: Established scientific humanitarian organization committee
- 1899: Yearbook of intermediate sexual typos
- 1910: The transvestites
- 1913: Medical society for sexual science and eugenics
- 1914: Study of sexuality in men and women
- 1919: First sexology institute in the world
- 1920: Attach by Right-Wing Supporters
- 1928: World league for sexual reform
- 1933: Nazis destroyed all the archives and library
Death and Legacy
Hirschfeld, being a Jews, sexual activist and a gay man, he was targeted to kill in 1920 as well as suffered continuous assaults by Nazis. His lectures disturbed many times. His legacy spread across the United States when American homosexual rights activist Henry Gerber impressed by Hirschfeld absorbed many ideas of him. Gerber was such an inspired to form the short-lived “Society of Human Rights” in 1924. Therefore, in 1932, he was forced to live in France. However, the next year, Hirschfeld died due to heart attach. In Germany, it’s Nazis who put the end to the “homosexual rights movements”.
In this world, being a good man or being a bad man, you have to play for both.
In Ireland, in 1979, National LGBT Federation established Hirschfeld Center, it is the second Gay lesbian community center. The German researchers and scientist founded Magnus Hirschfeld Society in West Berlin and continued research on history of Sexology. The Federal Cabinet of Germany granted 10 million euros for establishment of the “Magnus Hirschfeld National Foundation” to support research and education about Magnus Hirschfeld.
