Exhibit examines Nazi persecution of gays

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A new exhibit in Oklahoma City examines the persecution of homosexuals by Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s in Europe.<br/><br/>"Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals: 1933 to 1945" is a

Friday, September 16th 2005, 6:20 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A new exhibit in Oklahoma City examines the persecution of homosexuals by Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s in Europe.

"Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals: 1933 to 1945" is a traveling exhibit from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. It's been paired with an unrelated collection about Europeans who risked their lives to rescue Jews.

Exhibit curator Ted Phillips says there is no comparing the Nazi murder of 6-million European Jews to the persecution and arrests of 100,000 gay German men. 50,000 of those men were imprisoned and an unknown number died.

Phillips says the gay men weren't targeted to be exterminated but some officials considered re-educating them to make them what they called productive citizens.

ArtSpace is playing host to the five-week showing of the Oklahoma Holocaust Remembrance Exhibit. The show runs through October 23rd.