An Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Perseverance by Alexis Herr was first published in Oct. 02, 2025 by Bloomsbury Publishing. Herr says it is the first of its kind, “In order to tell you about this history, we have to include this perspective that it took way too long for someone to write a book like this.” (Photo provided by Bloomsbury Publishing)
On the evening of Feb. 24, Rabbi Chel Mandell introduced adjunct Professor in Jewish Studies, Alexis Herr. Herr discussed her new book “LGBTQI+ Persecution and the Holocaust,” with the encyclopedia described by Herr as the first of its kind, having taken 80 years from the conclusion of World War II before the experiences of LGBTQI+ persons could be memorialized. Herr presented two guiding questions for the event: “Why does the history of LGBTQI+ people still matter today?” and “What price might humanity pay if we forget this history?”
Herr began the event recounting the experiences of Fritz Kitzig, Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf, Claire Waldoff, Richard Grune and Frida Belifante. Each individual, confronted with the increasing systemic violence of the Nazi administration fell under the evolving conditionality of German criminal code. Paragraph 175, a German statute that criminalized sexual relations between men, became the central policy criminalizing members of the LGBTQI+ community in Nazi-occupied territory.
According to Herr, the specific conditions of Paragraph 175 presented a narrow interpretation of gender and sexuality at the time, as she describes, “We must look beyond paragraph 175 to fully understand gender and sexual identity during the holocaust.” Herr clarifies that lesbians were another persecuted demographic, however women who identified as lesbians were oftentimes charged under other statutes such as immorality—though academics are obstructed by a lack of preserved documentation. For individuals who were assigned male at birth and had transitioned, criminalization occurred primarily upon the basis of Paragraph 175, though we have little information on the spectrum of transgender individuals as criminalized by the Nazi regime.
The apparent lack of documentation on the spectrum of LGBTQI+ individuals is the result of Nazi demolition of the German centers for LGBTQI+ academia and research, such as the Berlin-based Institute for Sexual Science led by researcher Magnus Hirschfeld.
The relevance of these stories, according to Herr, is concisely described as such. “In recognizing them as full people, we affirm their humanity and affirm our own,” Herr said. In her motivations for writing the encyclopedia, Herr explains the background of LGBTQI+ experiences in the Holocaust, as German scholarship on those falling under Paragraph 175 only began in the 1990s, and the experiences of transgender individuals and queer women did not begin until much later. It is with this particular context that Herr interprets the question “What price might humanity pay if we forget this history?”
Herr references the 680 active anti-trans bills in American legislation as current instances which “should give us pause, we don’t know where these laws can lead. In 1871, when Paragraph 175 was created, I don’t think people knew where Germany would go.” Legislators across the nation have been introducing bills which target gender-affirming care. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 40.1% of youths aged 13-17 are living in the 27 states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care. Some additional states, such as Oklahoma, Texas and South Carolina, have considered banning care for transgender individuals up to 26 years-old. While not all of the proposed bills will become law, they set a precedent which may cause harm for LGBTQI+ communities.
In the post-presentation interview with Jewish Studies and Social Justice (JSSJ) Holocaust and Genocide Studies professor Juddson Taube asks the central question, “Why is this the work you want to do?” with Herr responding, “I want to write a history that’s accessible, I want this history to be used.”
Following the post-presentation interview was the crowd Q&A in which the question,“What is the point of writing about this history today given what’s happening in the world today? Does it matter?” In response, Herr states:
“I can’t imagine not doing it…I can only control myself and my actions. And I tried to create the world I wanted to live in. And this is the world I wanted to live in. I want to see others’ humanity. And I’m incredibly inspired by the people around me. Like in any situation, in any context, you will find people who defy the odds to do what I would say in quotations for the right thing. It is remarkable.”
It is then in the Maraschi room, packed with students, faculty and other guests that Herr is asked; “What are the questions people need to be asking?” Her response echoes, “I want people to spend more time questioning what does it mean to be human?” As students left the room, it was evident that her words had left a strong impression. The crowd discussed the book, its implications and how they might continue the practice of questioning.
