Pierre Seel

Pierre Seel was born in the Alsace region of France on August 16, 1923. After the Nazis annexed his home, he was arrested for being gay at only 17 years old.

Following his arrest, Pierre endured unimaginable brutality. He was tortured, raped with a wooden broom handle, and deported to the Schirmeck-Vorbrück camp. There, he was forced to watch as his 18-year-old boyfriend, Jo, was stripped naked by Nazi guards, who then set their attack dogs on him, tearing him apart in front of Pierre.

Like so many other queer victims of the Nazi regime, Pierre suffered inhumane treatment and relentless persecution. After the war, he tried to bury his trauma and remain silent. But in 1981, inspired by Josef Kohout, one of the first gay survivors to share his story, Pierre found his voice. He began publicly speaking out, demanding recognition and restitution for queer Holocaust victims. His powerful testimony was featured in the documentary Paragraph 175, and he later wrote his autobiography, I, Pierre Seel, Deported Homosexual.

Pierre passed away from cancer on November 25, 2005, but his legacy endures. In 2019, a street in Toulouse, France, was named in his honor. His story serves as a warning and a call to action, a reminder of what happens when fascist ideals take root and people remain silent. Even today, being gay is still a crime in many countries, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to the death penalty.

Pierre’s bravery in breaking the silence ensured that the suffering of queer victims would not be forgotten.