Rest In Peace, Rudolf Brazda, You Deserve It

It was a sad day on August 3, 2011 when Mr. Rudolf Brazda died at the age 98. His age doesn’t make Herr Brazda’s story remarkable. The fact that he was the last known homosexual survivor of the Nazi death camps makes his story worth writing about.

His death forever silencing the first hand account of what it meant to be gay in the Third Reich (homosexuality was declared illegal in 1935).

He was sent to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in 1942, imprisoned there until the camp was liberated in 1945. He moved to France after the war ended, staying there until his death — where he was buried.

Now, sixty-six years after Brazda’s release from the Nazi’s persecution, there’s talk in Germany about legalizing same-sex marriages.

Yes, the country’s had same-sex partnerships for the last 10 years — but when it comes to things like adoption and taxes, the current law doesn’t measure up (legal marriage between same sex couples is legal in Norway, Sweded, Spain, and Portugal).

Even the conservative Catholic Church might be softening. The Archbishop of Munich says that all gays and lesbians are welcome — despite the teachings against the “S”-word between same sex couples.

While some gay and lesbian couples might not be ready to tie the knot, they (and hetero-folks) are more than welcome to party at Christopher Street Day or Berlin Gay Pride; a huge event every June.

Right before the festival kicks off, there’s a smaller one (the Lesbisch-Schwules Stadtfest) at the Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg the week before.

Munich and Cologne also get in on the gay-filled action (oh, that doesn’t sound right, does it?) Sorry — I should say that Munich holds a Christopher Street Day of its own every August. As does the ColognePride in Cologne.

If you attend the event in Cologne or Berlin, stop by the memorials to those who were forced to wear the dreaded pink triangle in concentration camps — just like Mr. Brazda.

Rest in Peace, Sir — you deserve it.