Nazis and decadence

During the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), before the Nazis came to power, Germany—particularly Berlin—experienced a period of cultural flourishing and social liberalization. This era saw the rise of a vibrant cabaret culture and a relatively open environment for transgender and queer communities. Cabarets were known for their decadence, satire, and performances that often pushed boundaries, including those related to gender and sexuality.

Transgender culture also thrived during this time, supported by progressive figures like Magnus Hirschfeld, who founded the Institute for Sexual Science in 1919. The institute provided medical care, research, and advocacy for transgender individuals, and Berlin became a hub for queer nightlife, with venues like the Eldorado Club catering to gay, lesbian, and transgender patrons.

Nazism, however, did not foster this culture—it actively suppressed and destroyed it. When the Nazis seized power in 1933, they targeted these expressions of "decadence" and nonconformity as part of their ideology of racial purity and moral conservatism. The Institute for Sexual Science was raided and its library burned in May 1933, transgender-friendly venues like the Eldorado were shut down, and transgender individuals faced persecution.