Männer, Helden, schwule Nazis (Men, Heroes and Gay Nazis)

Männer, Helden, schwule Nazis (Men, Heroes and Gay Nazis) [German with English subtitles] [Deutsch mit optionalen englischen Untertiteln]

Männer, Helden, schwule Nazis (2005)
Men, Heroes, Gay Nazis (2005)

"Männer Helden und schwule Nazis" (Heroes And Gay Nazis) by Rosa von Praunheim deals with homosexual Nazi perpetrators, while his short film "Umsonst gelebt - Walter Schwarze" (A Life in Vain - Walter Schwarze) focuses on one of the victims.

Taking us to a world we never even imagined existed, controversial filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim tells the story of homosexual neo-Nazis in this outstanding non-fiction film. Since gay people starting identifying as such, there have always been extreme right-wing homosexuals. Praunheim takes into the hearts and souls of the conflicted gay men who align themselves with the far right of skinheads and Nazis. Focusing on André, Praunheim finds the perfect example of the gay Nazi. The filmmaker interviews not only André, but also his group of skinheads, who tolerate his sexuality. Praunheim also turns his camera on Bernd Ewald Althans, a professional Holocaust denier who now holds gay skinhead parties in Berlin. Praunheim interviews Nazi party officials and journalists who estimate that 10-15% of the neo-Nazi leadership is homosexual. The filmmaker says, “Some may be shocked that I do not take a stand in my film and do not portray neo-Nazis as monsters, but as people living their lives in dramatic contradiction.” Investigating this unusual phenomena should provide plenty of post-film discussion and controversy, just what provocateur Rosa von Praunheim intended!

Since its inception, the homosexual movement has always numbered gays whose political leanings tend towards the extreme right; these are men who set great store by masculinity and nationalism, who look down on "fairies" and women and propagate anti-Semitism. Writing shortly before his death from Aids at the end of the 1980s, neo-Nazi Michael Köhnen claimed that gay men made better fighters, because having no family made them more independent and braver. My documentary portrays gay men who describe themselves as right-wing, or who have a history of alignment with the extreme right.

Andre is a skinhead. He associates with a group of other bald-headed right-wing men, most of whom tolerate his being gay. Alexander Schlesinger is a member of a political party representing extreme right-wing views. He claims that his party's chief is aware of his homosexuality. Bernd Ewald Althans, who gained a reputation for his film, PROFESSION: NEONAZI, did time for his denial of the Holocaust. Today, he organises gay parties in Berlin. For nine years, Jörg Fischer was an active member of the extreme right-wing parties NPD and DVU. During this time he had a relationship with another male party member which lasted four years. He left these organisations in 1991 and now works as a journalist.

Journalist Rainer Fromm estimates that 10÷15% of neo-Nazi party leadership is gay and that their homosexuality is tolerated within the party.
Some may be shocked that I do not take a stand in my film and do not portray gay neo-Nazis as monsters, but as people living their lives in dramatic contradiction. Professor Rödiger Lautmann provides the most conclusive explanation: "Gays have always been persecuted, in all political parties, all religions and all societies. There is no reason why gay men should not affiliate themselves with right-wing groups for the fear of being discovered and punished was, and still is, almost the same everywhere."

Rosa von Praunheim