Finally, the memorial's committees have approved the application, which has been facing great resistance since 2016.
We, the "Initiative Autonome Feministische Frauen Lesben aus Deutschland and Osterreich" (Initiative Autonomous Feminist Women Lesbians from Germany and Austria) would like to thank the International Ravensbruck Committe as well as the Austrian and German Camp Community Ravensbruck, who supported the initiative from the beginning. We would like to thank all supporters, groups, organisations, individuals and scholars who have worked with us over the years to make the commemoration a reality.
The joint inscription of the last application of the initiative, which was submitted together with various co-founders (including LesbenRing e.V., Bundesstiftung Magnus Hirschfeld, LSVD Bund, RuT; LIBS, Lesbentelefon e.V., Munich; Safia e.V., Lesben gestalten ihr Alter e.V.), reads:
In memory of all lesbian women and girls in the women's concentration camp Ravensbruck and Uckermark. You were persecuted, imprisoned, also murdered. You are not forgotten. This is an important, long overdue step and a reason to rejoice! The memorial sphere will be inaugurated during the 77th liberation celebration in 2022.
The initiative "Autonome Feministische Frauen Lesben Aus Deutschland and Osterreich" (Autonomous Feminist Women Lesbians from Germany and Austria) had already held a first commemoration for the previously excluded victim group of lesbians women in 2014, which also took place in the following years. In these years the innitiative faced great resistance to the commemoration. No one of us could have imagined that the debate about the persecution of lesbian women could have taken such partly defamatory forms and would continue for so long.
Almost 40 years ago, the group in the GDR "Lesbians in the church" wanted to commemorate lesbian women. The wreath was destroyed, the entry deletedfrom the guest book and at the second attempt they were arrested. Then as now, it was about visibility of the persecution of lesbian women.
The fact that there will now be a commemoration of lesbian women is also due to the great international support from groups, organisations and inividuals for the initiative to install this commemoration.
Once again, We thank all supporters!
Info:on Facebook memorial ball
Contact: Gedenkkugel@gmx.de
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