The Secret of the Pink Angle: A Symbol of Remembrance and Strength

The Secret of the Pink Angle: A Symbol of Remembrance and Strength

There is an extraordinary exhibit in Qwien, the queer cultural center in Vienna: a man-high triangle made of pink plush that symbolizes the pink angle. This symbol has an eventful history that has its origins in the Nazi era. The pink triangle was originally used to identify homosexual prisoners in concentration camps. In the 1980s, however, the symbol developed into an identifying feature for young gays, while in the 1990s it was even presented at a pride parade in the form of a costume by the head of Vienna's anti-discrimination office. These different meanings make the pink plush costume a fascinating addition to the queer documentation site, as derStandard reports.

The darkest period in the history of the Pink Angle unfolds during the Nazi regime. Men classified as gay under Section 175 suffered extreme persecution. Homosexuality was a big taboo, and terms like “queer” or “trans” were completely unknown to the persecutors and those affected. According to Arolsen Archives, homosexual prisoners wore the pink triangle to display their supposed “deviance,” which illustrated the brutal Nazi ideology. Horrifying estimates suggest that between 6,000 and 10,000 men were imprisoned in concentration camps because of their sexuality.

The persecuted identities

Gay men were not the only ones who suffered under the Nazi regime. Women were not yet prosecuted in the “Altreich”, but in Austria there was a legal basis for the arrest of lesbian women. They also faced risks of denunciation, for example because of their sexual orientation or other characteristics. While more and more light has been shed on the persecution of homosexuals and other queer people in recent decades, Stiftung Memorials highlights that men who had suffered multiple convictions for homosexuality were classified as “career criminals” and thus had to wear a green chevron.

Thanks to the continuous processing and documentation of such topics in Qwien, awareness of queer history in Vienna and the world is kept alive. The connection between the past and the present, symbolized by the pink triangle, highlights the importance of recognizing and telling the stories of often overlooked identities. This archive of empowerment not only deals with the Holocaust, but also the fight for the rights of queer people, which continues to this day.