In the Weimar Republic, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld opened the Institute for Sexual Science and advocated for the repeal of legislation that criminalized sexual relations between men. At the Institute, pioneering gender-affirming surgeries were performed, and it was there that Dora Richter became the first known trans woman to undergo comprehensive male-to-female gender-affirming surgeries. But when the Nazis came to power, they labeled Hirschfeld an enemy of the state and destroyed the Institute’s immense library. Joining me in this episode is historian and novelist Dr. Brandy Schillace, author of The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story (https://bookshop.org/a/34046/9781324036319)
Our theme song is “Frogs Legs Rag (https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html),” composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is Kleine Kammermusik (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Hindemith_-_Kleine_Kammermusik.ogg) composed by Paul Hindemith and performed in February 1992 by the Soni Ventorum Woodwind Quintet; the recording is available by Creative Commons license and is available via Wikimedia Commons.The episode image is from 1928; the picture is in the public domain and is available via Wikimedia Commons.
Additional Sources:
“The Forgotten History of the World's First Trans Clinic (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-forgotten-history-of-the-worlds-first-trans-clinic/),” by Brandy Schillace, Scientific American, Mary 10, 2021.
“The first Institute for Sexual Science (1919-1933) (https://magnus-hirschfeld.de/ausstellungen/institute/),” The Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft e.V.
“Magnus Hirschfeld and the Institute for Sexual Science (https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/magnus-hirschfeld-and-the-institute-for-sexual-science/),” by Gabrielle Bryan-Quamina, Science Museum, London, February 29, 2024.
“Dora Richter (1892–1966) (https://lili-elbe.de/projekte/biographien/dora-richter/),” Lili Elbe Library.
“The Weimar Republic (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-weimar-republic),” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“Hitler: Essential Background Information (https://history.as.uky.edu/hitler-essential-background-information),” University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences.
“How Did Adolf Hitler Happen? (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/how-did-adolf-hitler-happen)” National World War II Museum.
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