Born in 1868, Magnus Hirschfeld was so far ahead of his time
regarding LGBTQ issues that our 21st Century Western Culture has
only caught-up with him in the last decade. His view was that “homosexuality is
a natural variant of human sexuality” (Dose, p. 42). Further, he was certain
that sexual identity was biological, and “appealed to the findings of genetic
research” (Dose, p. 43). It was not only being freely gay or lesbian that
Hirschfeld supported. He also supported liberation concerning transgender
identity. He invented the term “transvestite” (Dose, p. 46), and supported
research into hormone therapy for sexual reassignment (Dose, p. 73). He
advanced these views during a time when most of Western Civilization thought of
LGBTQ people as (at best) socially degenerate or (at worst) sinful. But
Hirschfeld was a medical doctor, whose motto was “through science to justice”
(Dose, p. 42).
Dr Hirschfeld’s wide-ranging work included not just
research, but also counseling, publishing, political activism against sodomy
laws and the founding of an Institute for Sexual Science. The Institute
provided classes, counseling and lectures, on sexual topics that spoke to the
needs of both LGBTQ and heterosexual visitors. In addition, it sponsored
parties and gatherings that fostered LGBTQ community (Dose, pp 97-103).
Concerning activism, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee,
whose purpose was to work for “the abolishment of Paragraph 175 of the German
civil code pertaining to homosexuals” (Dose, p. 73). If all of the above were
not enough to define Magnus Hirschfeld as far in advance of his time, he also
networked with other peace and social justice advocates around an extensive
number of issues he supported: birth control, abortion rights, women’s
suffrage, pacifism, prostitution reform, anti-censorship efforts, and
divorce/marriage reform (Dose, pp 46-48).
There are few books in English on Magnus Hirschfeld. Of
those, a minority have informational or literary merit. Ralph Dose’s offering
is one of the few worth reading. Co-founder and Director of the Magnus
Hirschfeld Society in Berlin, Professor Dose is a writer and lecturer on topics
of sex education, LGBTQ issues/politics and the history of sex research. His book is succinct, at
little more than 100 pages. But Dose wastes no space. He moves crisply though the
chapters, entitled in the following order: “His Life,” “His Work,” “His Impact
& Influence,” and “Epilogue: Magnus Hirschfeld in North America.”
While Dose is undoubtedly a fan, whose work and interests
mirror those of his subject, this book is no hagiography. Throughout, Professor
Dose is critical of the doctor’s performance as an expert witness (Dose, p.
45), his “high-handedness” with aligned political organizations (Dose, p. 48),
his disastrous testicular transplant experiments (Dose, p. 74), and his
advocacy of eugenics (Dose, p. 78). Dose presents Hirschfeld as a great and
flawed pioneer; and pioneers rarely place every footstep on solid ground.
As the Nazis ascended to prominence, Hirschfeld (an
outspoken gay, Jewish, leftist activist with unconventional theories), became
an endangered species. He survived one near fatal beating when his assailants
thought he was dead. Then, on May 6, 1933, The Institute for Sexual Science was
ransacked by a mob of “National Socialist physical education students” (Dose,
p. 65). Hirschfeld was out of the country, concluding a worldwide lecture tour.
He never returned to Germany and died in Nice, in 1935.
Magnus Hirschfeld. The Origins of the Gay Liberation
Movement will acquaint a reader with the life, work and ideas of a
surprisingly forward-thinking individual. In spite of its dreary endgame, the
doctor’s life is an inspiring example. It reveals that, despite being born into
unenlightened, unsupportive circumstances, one has the capacity to grow and act
in a manner that is far in advance of one’s environment.
Dose, Ralf. Magnus Hirschfeld. The Origins of the Gay
Liberation Movement. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2014.
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