Thank you Mr. Benson for your editorial on the comparison of Jews and Homosexuals. And, congratulations on your self-proclaimed sensitivity to the issue!
I would have to concur that Dr. Paula Wolfe did in fact make a mistake in her assessment of the persecution of Jews during holocaust and its comparison to gays and lesbians. I believe she underestimated the deaths and damage imposed on the homosexual population during that era!
According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, homosexuals were the first targeted victims of the Nazi regime. In fact, Hitler, soon after taking office in January 1933, initiated the Nazi attempts to “purify” German society and propagate an “Aryan master race,” by condemning homosexuals as “socially aberrant.” This policy was implemented immediately and thousands of gays and lesbians were killed before the persecution of the other minority groups even began. For your information, homosexuals were the first group to be sent to concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
Discrimination is not a pretty thing. At its best, it surfaces in the form of ignorance that perpetuates misunderstanding and hurts the society as a whole. At its worse, it endorses blatant acts of hatred which range from elimination of civil rights, disregard for the individual, and even murder. Having an in-depth personal understanding of issues that surround racial, religious, and sexual identity bigotry, I can comprehend Dr. Wolfe’s comparison. Moreover, I support her in using such an example to point out the dangers of continuing the acts of intolerance and injustice that are being so overtly practiced by lawmakers in Utah against one targeted group of people.
Sincerely,
Ara Serjoie