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Silverfoxesclub-digest
Friday, June 1 2001
Volume 01 : Number 256

In this issue:

-famous gays
-Kaiser Wilhelm, Weimar Republic, Third Reich, and Paragraph 175
-a thought to ponder
-one more famous gay conductor
-Re: one more famous gay conductor
-Humor: Kinky

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From: "ted frank loveridge" bunsenite@hotmail.com

Subject: famous gays

I can't believe that the biggest QUEEN of all has been forgotten, Freddy Mercury!!!

Frank
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From: Dean Hutchinson bvgay@yahoo.de
Subject: Kaiser Wilhelm, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and Paragraph 175

Ben Boxer wrote:
Re: "Knowing the Nazi attitude toward gays as evidenced by the later infamous Paragraph 175 (the Nazi law that criminalized homosexuality), it would be foolish to assume that there was not a lot of flak on account of the "gay" S.A.

Dear Ben,
Contrary to what you said, Paragraph 175 was not "later" enacted by the Nazis (i.e. after 1933), but by the PRUSSIANS, in 1871, after the unification of the German states. As Neil Miller writes in "Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present" (p. 112):

"Under the influence of the French Revolution, the state of Bavaria had abolished laws in 1813 criminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults. Hannover had done the same in 1840. But with unification, the law of Prussia, outlawing 'unnatural sexual acts between men and men, and men and beasts," became the basis for the law of unified Germany."

This is also one of the main reasons why Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895), a German lawyer and assessor for the German kingdom of Hannover (who was homosexual, whoops!, Uranian, himself) gave his famous speech "for the rights of Uranians [or "Urnings"] that have been trampled underfoot" ["f|r der Urninge zertretnes Recht"] before the Congress of German Jurists in Munich on Thursday, August 29, 1867.

Here's a short excerpt from Karl Heinrich Ulrichs' booklet .Gladius furens. [p. 1, Kassel, Germany, 1868] describing the feelings of pride of empowerment that took hold of him after making that historic 1867 speech in Munich's Odeon Theater:

"Until my death I will count it to my glory that on 29 August 1867 in Munich I found the courage to encounter eye-to-eye a thousand-year-old, many-thousand-headed, raging Hydra, which has truly for all too long spit poison and venom on me and my comrades-in-nature, driven many to suicide, and poisoned the life's happiness of all. Yes, I am proud that I found the strength to thrust the first lance into the side of the Hydra of public condemnation."

Bis an meinen Tod werde ich es mir zum Ruhme anrechnen, da_ ich am 29. August 1867 zu M|nchen in mir den Muth fand, Aug' in Auge entgegenzutreten einer tausendjdhrigen, vieltausendkvpfigen, wuthblickenden Hydra, welche mich und meine Naturgenossen wahrlich nur zu lange schon mit Gift und Geifer bespritzt hat, viele zum Selbstmord trieb, ihr Lebensgl|ck allen vergiftete. Ja, ich bin stolz, da_ ich die Kraft fand, der Hydra der vffentlichen Verachtung einen ersten Lanzensto_ in die Weichen zu versetzen.

Thus, "Gay Pride" can not be dismissed by the Religious Right and other homophobic groups and individuals as some new-fangled, post-Stonewall concept. It can be proved that it is at least 144 years old! Ulrichs' third book, .Vindicta,. from which the following German text was taken, was published in 1865, the year of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the end of the Civil War. In that passage, Ulrichs calls upon his comrades-in-nature [.Naturgenossen,. a term he often used to express solidarity with his fellow Uranians) to .step forward as Urnings. [i.e. .come out as gay men.] or else .headway. shall .never. be made "in human society":

"It seems both impractical and degrading to me that we should appear in future too behind the mask of a sexless person, or perhaps even feign Dionian [i.e. heterosexual] feelings. We should and must step forward as U r n i n g s, unmasked ["with open visors"]! Otherwise we shall never make headway in human society." Da_ wir auch knftig noch auftreten sollen unter der Maske eines Geschlechtslosen oder gar dion. Gef|hle erheuchelnd, scheint mir ebenso unpraktisch wie unw|rdig. Als U r n i n g e sollen und m|ssen wir auftreten, mit offenem Visir! Nur dann erobern wir uns in der menschlichen Gesellschaft Boden unter den F|_en, sonst niemals.

In "Vindicta" (Leipzig 1865), he describes himself as an in-your-face rebel:

"I Demand Justice: I am an insurgent. I rebel against the existing situation because I hold it to be a condition of injustice. I fight for freedom from persecution and insults. I call for the recognition of Urning love. I call for it from public opinion and from the state. Just as inborn Dioning sexual love is recognized as just by public opinion and the state, so too I demand from both the recognition that inborn Urning sexual love is just."

Ich fordere Gerechtigkeit..: Ich bin ein Insurgent. Ich lehne mich auf gegen das bestehende, weil ich dasselbe halte f|r einen Zustand der Ungerechtigkeit. Ich kdmpfe f|r Freiheit von Verfolgung und Beschimpfung. Ich fordere Anerkennung urnischer Liebe. Ich fordere sie von der vffentlichen Meinung und vom Staat. Gleichwie angeborne dionische Geschlechtsliebe von Staat und vffentlicher Meinung als berechtigt anerkannt werden, so begehre ich von beiden, da_ sie ebenso auch urnische angeborne Geschlechtsliebe als berechtigt anerkennen.

Paragraph 175 was, however, extended by the Nazis in the mid-1930s to include even the criminalization of men CUDDLING or even having homosexual THOUGHTS! Proof of anal intercourse was no longer necessary. The old Prussian Paragraph 175 had only criminalized "beischlafdhnliche Handlungen" [i.e. "acts similar to (hetero-)sexual intercourse"] which specifically meant oral, anal, and intercrural (between the thighs) intercourse. Mutual masturbation between men, or men kissing, were not illegal in either the German Empire (1871-1918) or the Weimar Republic (1918-1933)! As Kevin Jennings writes in "Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay and Lesbian History for High School and College Students" (p. 119):

"The Nazis wasted little time in their efforts to make Germany homorein (free of homosexuals) once they took power. On February 23, 1933, barely three weeks after Hitler became chancellor on January 30, gay-rights groups [the first of which had already formed by Magnus Hirschfeld and others in May of 1897!] were banned. On May 6 [Hirschfeld's] Institute for Sexual Research was destroyed by Nazi thugs. (Hirschfeld was lecturing abroad at the time, and never returned to Germany; he died in France in 1935). By 1934 the Gestapo was ordered to compile lists of homosexuals. [On September 1, 1935] Paragraph 175 was extended to cover not only those who actually had sex with someone of the same sex, but also those who merely thought about it. Authorities called this 'contemplation of the desired object,' and it allowed nearly anyone to be criminally charged. After all, how can one prove that one isn't thinking about something? By 1938, it became legal to move those arrested under Paragraph 175 from regular jails to concentration camps. In 1940 the authorities were actually required to send those charged with violating this law to the camps. The effort to exterminate gays was under way."

The Nazi attitude toward gays was evidenced long before Hitler came to power. "In 1928," writes James D. Steakley in "The Homosexual Emancipation Movement in Germany" [1864-1933] (pp. 84-85), "all German political parties were canvassed by [homosexual rights activist] Adolf Brand as to their views on penal reform and reform of Paragraph 175 in particular. The views of the Nazi Party were expressed in no uncertain terms:

"Suprema lex salus populi! Community before the individual! Munich, 14 May 1928.
It is not necessary that you and I live, but it is necessary that the German people live. And it can only live if it can fight, for life means fighting. And it can only fight if it maintains its masculinity. It can only maintain its masculinity if it exercises discipline, especially in matters of love. Free love and deviance are undisciplined. Therefore we reject you, as we reject anything which hurts our people. Anyone who even thinks of homosexual love is our enemy. We reject anything which emasculates our people and makes it a plaything for our enemies, for we know that life is a fight and it's madness to think that man will ever embrace fraternally. Natural history teaches us the opposite. Might makes right. And the stronger will always win over the weak. Let's see to it that we once again become the strong! But this we can only do in one way---the German people must once again learn how to exercise discipline. We therefore reject any form or lewdness, especially homosexuality, because it robs us of our last chance to free our people from the bondage which now enslaves it."

The German Commmunist Party answered the same question:

"Berlin, 7 May 1928
In response to your letter of May 5, let us simply state that the CP has always carried on the most resolute struggle for the repeal of Paragraph 218 (the law prohibiting abortion).... The CP has also taken a stand for the repeal of Paragraph 175 at every available opportunity. We need simpyl remind you of the recent [Reichstag] debate on the law for fighting venereal disease as well as the debate of the [Reichstag] Committe for Penal Code Reform. There is no need to emphasize that we will continue to wage the most resolute struggle for the repeal of these laws in the future."

Interesting were Hitler's personal (and rather incoherent) thoughts on the subject, as recorded by Rudold Diels, the founder of the Gestapo:

"He lectured me on the role of homosexuality in history and politics. It had destroyed ancient Greece, he said. Once rife, it extended its contagious effects like an ineluctable law of nature to the best and most manly of characters, eliminating from the reproductive process those very men on whose offspring a nations depended. The immediate result of the vice was, however, that unnatural passion swiftly became dominant in public affairs if it were allowed to spread unchecked."

"With its mingled elements of condemnation, dread, and admiration," writes Steakley (pp. 109-110), "Hitler's view appears to be a concatenation of eugenics, fear of conspiracy (similar to the 'Elders of Zion' legend), and the theory of homosexual superiority advanced by Hans Bl|her."

Hugs,
Dean
=====
"My friends, may this knowledge of comrades offer you a security, which will protect you from spiritual impoverishment. And may it be for you a power to strengthen your conviction, amid the anathemas that you, too, will perhaps not escape."
---Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895), in "Prometheus," ("Research on the Riddle of Man-Manly Love") p. 72, Leipzig, Germany, January 1870.
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From: "Dennis O" irishbear@hotmail.com
Subject: a thought to ponder

The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals, and 362 to heterosexuals.

This doesn't mean God doesn't love heterosexuals, it's just that they need more supervision. - Unknown
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From: "Dettch Dettch" dettch@hotmail.com
Subject: one more famous gay conductor

I'm surprised the name James Levine, conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, hasn't been mentioned on our gay list.

Bob
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From: PopEyer2@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: one more famous gay conductor

dettch@hotmail.com writes: I'm surprised the name James Levine, conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, hasn't been mentioned on our gay list.

I'm not famous, but no one has mentioned me yet -- I conduct two orchestras at the middle school in which I teach.
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From: "luvhog" luvhog@ameritech.net
Subject: Humor: Kinky

You Know You're Kinky when...

...you keep fake hanging plants around the house, just so your mother will never know what all those hooks in the ceiling are really for.

...you realize you've charged more in leather than you get paid in a year.
...you have more toys than your neighbors kids.
...your toilet seat is leather.
...you take up macrame, just to learn some new knots.
...you start rating your CDs by how interesting it'll be to beat someone to.
...someone asks how long you've been doing this ponyboy routine, and you snort and start to stamp your foot.
...your favorite dessert is hot crossed buns...and you don't eat sweets.
...someone says they have a leatherman, you almost say "me too!" before you realize they are talking about the tool gadget on their belt.
...you watch a movie where someone gets tied up and scream at the screen, "Gimme a break, 3 minutes max to get out of that!"
...you go to the local county fair and salivate when the horse jumps are setup. ...you have a list by the phone for the house-sitter.... Hospital, Family, and three 24 hour locksmiths.
...you are on a first name basis with all the local EMT's.
...you have the closest 24 hour locksmith as #1 on your speed dial list.
...you join the SCA just so you can learn to make your own chainmail and work with leather!
...you speak of crop rotation with someone, and they aren't a farmer.
...you try to get arrested, just for the handcuffs, body cavity search, humiliation scene and time in the cage.
...Avon tells you stop writing, they are not going to make eau d'leather after shave.
...vanilla means anything BUT a flavoring for ice cream!
...leather companies start giving you the wholesale to distributor discount.
...you can't pass a candle factory without drooling (or wetting your seat).
...your nephews ask you about conditioning leather ....and it takes you a minute to realize they are talking about their baseball gloves.
..."chain letter" has a whole different meaning to you.
...you haunt the dollar stores for "pervertibles."
...you've got a toy chest bigger than the one in your 6 year old nephew's room.
...the local Leather hobby shop offers you a business account.
...your neighbor kids ask if they can borrow your "costumes" for Halloween.
...your body piercings set off the metal detectors at the court house.
...you need two separate packing and moving crews.... one to pack and move the furniture and belongings, and the other to pack and move the "furniture" and "belongings."
...you choose your new house based on it's location: convenient to the leather store, easily directed to by your friends and the local ambulance drivers, and just a mile from the emergency room.
...you become a locksmith to avoid having to make embarrassing calls at 2 A.M.
...the local Home Depot has set you up with a business account... and you are not a contractor or an electrician.
...you move to another city, and the hardware store in your old hometown goes out of business because you don't buy there anymore.
...escape artists come to you for advice.
...you say Vanilla like it's a bad word.
...you can't pass by an iron fence without drooling.
...you know the location of every tack shop in the tri-state area.
...your idea of getting a jump in the morning is to hook up the other end of your nipple clamp to the car battery.
...you nearly cause an accident pulling into the lot where the sign advertises FREE TODAY HOT WAX before you realize it's a car wash.
...you cannot get through the opening lines of "Green Eggs and Ham" (I Am Sam, Sam I Am) without giggling hysterically.
...your attitude is "electricity, not just a utility, but a way of life."
...you've served more people than McDonald's.
...more people have seen your body on-line than have visited www.cnn.com.
...you spend more time on your knees than a Catholic priest.
...you consider filing a lawsuit for false advertising when the pizza place has a sign for HOT GREEK STYLE SUBS but they wouldn't bend over to please you.
...you chose your last car based on the location of the garment hooks.
...the hospital lists you as a triage center, since you're better equipped than the ER.
...you sit on Santa's lap to tell him the toys you want for X-mas, and get a free trip to the North Pole.
..you buy clothespins in the supersize family economy bags, and you don't have a family or a clothesline.
...there's enough rope in your bedroom to scale Mt. Everest.
...you find yourself wandering through the wax museum's medieval torture chamber making comments like "Gimme a break! My grandmother could get out of that!"
...getting tattooed and pierced is merely foreplay.
...you bought a souvenir replica of the Washington Memorial because you were too cheap to go to the adult store and get a real you butt plug.
...you think Hannibal Lecter is a snazzy dresser.
...someone tries to talk you out of your blind date by saying he's sick and sadistic and you perk, god i hope so!
...you think VA stands for Vanilla Anonymous. ...turning the switch on has precious little to do with making the lights come on when you enter the room.
...the first thing you check when looking for a new car is whether the trunk can hold a bound submissive or two.
...you take advantage of the needle exchange program in your city and you have never used intravenous drugs in your entire life.
...you fake injuries just so you can replenish the medical play kit from the ER.
...when you're told your brother-in-law is pussy whipped, it takes you a moment to realize that doesn't necessarily mean he's transgendered.
...you can accurately convert horsepower to # of ponyboys harnessed.
...someone calls your boyfriend a slut and you thank them.
...your favorite letter of the alphabet is O.
...nose to the grindstone is an orgasmic abrasion fantasy.
...you refer to your fully equipped van as "Squeals on Wheels."
...your travel agent recommends a 4 star bed and breakfast as part of your vacation plans; you yawn and ask where the nearest Dungeon and Gruel is to your destination.
...investing in stocks and bonds means refurbishing the play area.
...your friends think your primary language is acronyms.
...you have a habit of calling conversion vans...perversion vans.
...you overhear your neighbor training his dog to sit, beg, play dead, roll over; and find yourself obeying quicker than the dog does.
...you need to rent a U-Haul to get your toys to the play party.
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End of silverfoxesclub-digest V1 #256
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