'Queer' memorial for gays

Mon, 15 May 2006

Vienna authorities announced plans Monday to erect a pink memorial next year to commemorate homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis during World War II.

The planned memorial at the city centre's Morzinplatz will consist of a sculpture and a shallow pool filled with pink-coloured water, its creator Hans Kupelwieser said Monday at the presentation of the €310 000 ($400 000) project.

The basin will be inscribed with the word "Que(e)r" — a reference to both the English term for homosexual and transgender people and the German "quer," from "Querdenker" or lateral thinker, Kupelwieser added.

The memorial's location puts it on the route of the annual Rainbow Parade and at the site of the former Gestapo headquarters. A memorial to the victims of fascism stands nearby.

Kupelwieser's design was selected by the city council and homosexual and transgender groups following a competition last year.

http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/332132.htm

 

A memorial to all the victims of fascism isn't adequate? They need their own memorial? A pink one at that? Where is the Gypsie memorial, or the mentally challenged memorial or the 'little people' memorial? This just sounds unnecessary to me.

 

Wishing to make a fair, reasonable and dispassionate observation, though perhaps hard if not impossible to do in this area, I don’t suppose anyone would raise an eyebrow if this was a Jewish memorial?

No.9

 

Are there no Jewish memorials in Vienna? If not, maybe it's because there is no population base left to push for such a thing. Same with the Roma, they seem to be a pretty private society and probably don't want the publicity. I guess what I'm trying to say is that any group with a decent amount of backing can build a memorial to anything anywhere. The mentally challenged folks ancestors probably just want to forget and there aren't enough "little people" to raise the funds necessary. Communists??? Are there any left?

Later

 

I agree.

 

Had to double check the date on this article. Perhaps it was a reprint from 1st of April?

 

156Squadron,

I think they had as early as a year back plans to build this memorial and it was given to several big names to come up with something. But I think they gave the final decision out in May of the artist and memorial type and place.
If I am wrong definitely correct my posting.

 

We must remember ALL the victims..

 

I can't see anything wrong with this at all. The Memorial in my Village only has 20 odd local names on it, I'd call that pretty specific but noone could ever question it's appropriateness. It seems good news to me that any particular group still remembers what was done by the Nazis'.

Cheers,
Adam

 

I agree with you Von Poop, they were victims and no group should be denied their opportunity to memorialize their loss.