PHOTO: Berlin university students carrying away the library from the home of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) on May 6, 1933 for a May 10-11 Nazi book burning, (New York Herald Tribune, May 17, 1933) See previous post Magnus Hirschfeld Book notes 37 to 39 - final post (11/2/10) for my notes Magnus Hirschfeld's research work on homosexuality.
PHOTO: title page and Princeton University Library bookplate in book by Dr. med. Magnus Hirschfeld, Arzt für nervöse und psychische Leiden in Berlin, "Die Homosexualität des Mannes und des Weibes," Louis Marcus Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1914, First Edition, Original from Princeton University scanned by Google Books. (download PDF of the first German edition from Google Books) See English language translation of Magnus Hirschfeld, translated by Michael A. Lombardi-Nash, Ph.D., "The homosexuality of men and women," Prometheus Books, 2000. See previous post Magnus Hirschfeld Book notes 37 to 39 - final post (11/2/10) for my notes on this book.
Nearly a Century has passed since when Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld first published his research book on homosexuality in 1914, which led the Nazi Party in 1933 to burn his research institute and send him into exile in France where he died in 1935 at the age of 67. Incredibly, Hirschfeld's pioneering research work was largely rejected by Stonewall-era American gay activists probably due to the lack of a good German to English translation. A good translation did not become available until the year 2000: Magnus Hirschfeld, translated by Michael A. Lombardi-Nash, Ph.D., "The homosexuality of men and women," Prometheus Books, 2000. (See my previous post Magnus Hirschfeld Book notes 37 to 39 - final post (11/2/10) for my notes on this book.)
My Grandfather Elmer Kraemer (See Wikipedia) was a famous German chemist, who led the team of chemists who invented nylon, and he was lecturing at the University of Berlin when the book burning of Magnus Hirschfeld's library occurred. I clearly recall my Grandmother Kraemer and my school textbooks describing this incident as being due to Hirschfeld being Jewish, but it is clear from historical records that the Nazi's were equally exploiting for propaganda purposes the fact Hirschfeld was gay and doing research Nazis said was promoting disgusting homosexual behavior and it was anti-Christian. The Nazi book burning of Magnus Hirschfeld's library alarmed my Grandparents enough for them to quickly leave Germany with my father on a boat for America.
To honor Magnus Hirschfeld, I am the founding benefactor of the Oregon State University Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld Fund for research concerning humans or animals with a minority sexual orientation or gender identity, (See previous post OSU Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld Fund Agreement (1/4/12)) As a result, I've been happy to see the formation of a new OSU department that might be a good home for some of my research funding being made available to any academic department at OSU. (See previous post OSU School of Language, Culture and Society is perfect for OSU Foundation Magnus Hirschfeld Fund (2/19/12 revised 6/9/13)) I've also noticed two new Professors whose research is related to the mission of my fund: Oregon State University Queer studies Associate Professor Qwo-Li Driskill (see previous post New queer studies professor, OSU Magnus Hirschfeld Fund and OutHistory mentioned in student paper (6/7/13) and "Bradley Boovy Assistant Professor of German and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies," Oregon State University Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies who introduces himself as follows:
"I came to Oregon State in Fall 2012 after completing my Ph.D. in Germanic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. My research bridges cultural history, history of sexuality, queer studies, and gender studies and is informed by cultural studies and queer feminist perspectives. In my current project I examine transnational networks of exchange and collaboration in postwar gay publishing in West Germany, Western Europe, and the United States. I'm particularly interested in uncovering the ways in which these networks relied on and reinforced nationalistic and racialized ways of knowing and speaking about postwar gay male experience. In other words, how was gay identity in the postwar period constructed as exclusively White in the Western European and US-American contexts (i.e., the places where postwar "homophile" publishing was most visible)? And how do those racial legacies continue to inform dominant expressions of gay male identity to date?
"I teach courses both in the World Languages and Cultures Program and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. In WLC I teach upper-division German courses along with courses on German-speaking cultures and media. My WGSS courses focus on men and masculinities and queer film. I am collaborating with colleagues from across campus to develop a minor in Critical Men and Masculinity Studies, which we hope to launch in Fall 2014."
Also see Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Oregon State University "Program Faculty" accessed Nov. 1, 2013, which includes Mina Carson, PhD Associate Professor, History, Mirabelle Fernandes-Paul, EdD Director, Women's Center, Brenda McComb, PhD Professor, Forestry. Environmental & Social Justice; Transgender Studies, Brent Steel, PhD Professor, Public Policy. Gender & Environment, Gender and Politics, Vicki Tolar Burton, PhD Professor, English. Feminist rhetoric and writing; feminist approaches to religion.
Coincidentally, see the press release by Bradley Boovy, Mark Floyd, "Inaugural Corvallis Queer Film Festival to begin Nov. 11," News and Research Press Telase from Communications Oregon State University, posted Nov. 6, 2013 and the newspaper's printed notice: "Darkside Cinema hosts Corvallis Queer Film Festival," Gazette-Times, Nov. 7, 2013, p. B3. The event is sponsored by the Oregon State University School of Language, Culture, and Society and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program in the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University.
Speaking of gay films, see the review by Daniel Borgen, ""Bridegroom": The Year's Most Important Film You Probably Haven't Seen Yet," pqmonthly.com posted October 31, 2013 - "Bridegroom . . . opened this year's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival-and, as has become customary for the fest, the first night's film played to a packed, emotional house."
I aw Bridegroom earlier on Oprah Winfrey's OWN cable channel while looking to see her coverage of Jack Baker's gay marriage activism. I said I might say more about it, but the PQ review probably better reflects the film's very positive impact on younger and less jaded viewers than me! (See previous post Oprah impressed by Jack Baker's gay marriage activism in 1970s (10/28/13)).
Note that the first documented case of a gay faculty member at OSU dates from 1935, when Professor W. Dorr Legg was hired by OSU. He would later become famous as one of the founders of the homophile movement in the 1950's that predated Stonewall. See previous posts W. Dorr Legg OSU archives records 1935-1942 (7/31/10) and OSU professor recognized equality hypocrisy decades ago (6/5/12).
Also, see previous post OSU Scholars Archive has PDF of OSU gay history from OutHistory dot org (11//2/13) -- Thomas Kraemer, "Corvallis, Oregon State University Gay Activism 1969-2004," outhistory.org posted May 6, 2010 is the new link after the site was moved from the City University of New York to the University of Illinois Chicago. For a PDF copy as originally posted, see "MSS Thomas Kraemer" ScholarsArchives&OSU Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center and URI:http://hdl.handle.net/1957/43450 accessed Oct. 26, 2013 that Redirects to Thomas Kraemer, "Corvallis, Oregon State University gay activism 1969-2004," Oregon State University ScholarsArchive@OSU accessed Oct. 26, 2013 part of OSU "Collections Pertaining to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People in Oregon," Oregon State University Archives accessed Oct. 19, 2013.
