Holocaust survivor: LGBTQ victims of Nazi era deserve equal respect

Holocaust survivor Rozette Kats has called for all groups of victims of the Nazi era to be recognized equally, as Germany holds its national remembrance day with a focus on queer victims.

“Every person who was persecuted at that time deserves to be remembered with respect,” the 80-year-old Dutchwoman said on Friday at a Bundestag memorial service.

In her emotional speech, Kats referred to people who were persecuted by the Nazis because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Queer people were massively persecuted by the Nazis under laws that remained in force in Germany for many decades after the war.

However, memorial services in the past have at times refrained from commemorating LGBTQ victims, Kats said. She thinks this is wrong.

“If certain groups of victims are seen as less valuable than others, then in the end that only means one thing – that the Nazi ideology lives on and unfortunately continues to have an effect today,” she said.