To the editor,
Articles written to perpetuate knowledge of the vast suffering in World War Two especially the atrocities by the Nazi Germans are normally praiseworthy. Nothing can be gained however by distorting the truth.
The column (Nov. 6) Gays and the Holocaust states, “Gay men were the largest group after the Jews to perish in these horrific camps.”
It is estimated that 5,000 to 15,000 male homosexuals were imprisoned in ALL concentration camps. Compare this to 140,000-plus ethnic Poles at Auschwitz alone or 220,000 Roma victims in all camps. Many others such as blacks, Soviet POWs and disabled people suffered in greater numbers than male homosexuals.
Please be certain to quote these numbers accurately to reflect the truth about this great tragedy and to honour all of its victims.
Below are some links to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The information on the pages appear accurate to me. Male homosexual suffering should be highlight but not at the expense of others.
Jan Niechwiadowicz, Author of German Camps, Polish Victims