Friedrich Radszuweit (15 April 1876 – 15 March 1932) was a German manager, publisher, and author and

LGBT activist Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...

, who was of major importance to the

first homosexual movement The first homosexual movement thrived in Germany from the late nineteenth century until 1933. The movement began in Germany because of a confluence of factors, including the criminalization of sex between men (Paragraph 175) and the country's ...

Early life and career

Radszuweit was born in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

. He moved to Berlin in 1901 and opened a shop for women's clothes. In 1923, Radszuweit, who was

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

, became president of the organisation ''Bund für Menschenrecht E.V.'' (BfM), which worked for the rights of

people and for the deletion of

Paragraph 175 Paragraph 175 (known formally a§175 StGB also known as Section 175 in English) was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made homosexual acts between males a crime, and in early revisions the provisio ...

in Germany. He started his own publishing company and published the monthly magazine ''Zeitschrift für Menschenrecht'' from 1923 to 1933. The company also published several

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

books and

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

graphics. The company also produced the first gramophone record with homosexual themes, including ''Bubi laß uns Freunde sein'' by

Bruno Balz Bruno Balz (6 October 1902, in Berlin – 14 March 1988, in Bad Wiessee) was a German songwriter and schlager writer. From the time he wrote the music for the first German sound film until his retirement in the 1960s, Balz was responsible for th ...

and Erwin Neuber. Other magazines published include '' Die Insel'', ''Magazin der Einsamen'' (1926–1931), and the

transvestite Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western ...

magazine '' Das 3. Geschlecht'' (five issues: 1930–1932). He also started the lesbian magazine ''

Die Freundin ''Die Freundin'' ( en, The Girlfriend: The Ideal Friendship Journal) was a popular Weimar-era German lesbian magazine published from 1924 to 1933. Founded in 1924, it was the world's first lesbian magazine, closely followed by '' Frauenliebe'' a ...

, Wochenschrift für ideale Frauenfreundschaft''. Radszuweit wrote the novels '' Männer zu verkaufen'', ''Ledige Frauen'', ''Die Symphonie des Eros'' and ''Paul Tritzkis Lebensweg''. In 1927, he produced a flyer for the members of the Reichstag advocating reform of

§ 175 Paragraph 175 (known formally a§175 StGB also known as Section 175 in English) was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made homosexual acts between males a crime, and in early revisions the provision ...

.Radszuweit, Friedrich. ''Irrlehren über die Homosexualität. § 175 muss abgeschafft werden ! Denkschrift an den Deutschen Reichstag zur Beseitigung einer Kulturschande'', published by Bund für Menschenrechte, Berlin 1927, 14 pages

Death

In April 1932, Radszuweit died in Berlin of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. His businesses were taken over at his death by his lover Martin Butzkow (1900–1933), whom he had adopted to allow him to be his heir.

Works

* ''Männer zu verkaufen'', Leipzig, Lipsia-Verlag, 1932, 6. edition * ''Die Symphonie des Eros'', Berlin-Pankow, Kaiser Friedrich-Str. 1, 1925 * ''Paul Titzkis Lebensweg'', Berlin-Pankow, Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 1, Orplid-publishing, 1924

Notes

External links

Friedrich Radszuweit in German national bibliothek
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Radszuweit, Friedrich 1876 births 1932 deaths LGBT businesspeople from Germany German gay writers Writers from Königsberg People from the Province of Prussia LGBT rights activists from Germany

Early life and career

Death

Works

Further reading

Notes

External links