The Nazi regime systematically targeted and persecuted gay and lesbian individuals, a fact previously obscured by limited access to historical documentation. This book, drawing on newly opened archives from unified Germany, demonstrates that the eradication of homosexuals was a declared goal of the Nazis even before their rise to power. It provides evidence of systematic anti-gay campaigns, the justifications used for discrimination, and the horrific fates of gay men and women in concentration camps, including incarceration, mutilation, and murder.

This work is recognized as a significant contribution to gay and lesbian studies, providing crucial evidence from previously inaccessible archives. The opening of East German archives following unification allowed scholars Günter Grau and Claudia Schoppmann to demonstrate the systematic nature of Nazi persecution of homosexuals. The book details the pre-power declarations of intent, the justification for discrimination, and the brutal treatment of gay men and women in concentration camps. It is considered a groundbreaking study that sheds light on a previously obscured aspect of the Holocaust.