The city of Paris marked this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) with the unveiling of a new memorial  in WW2. Under the Nazi regime, up to 17 million people were systematically killed including six million Jews, hundreds of thousands of disabled people, and thousands of LGBTQ+ people, amongst many other groups deemed “undesirable”. Between 1933 and 1945, an estimated 100,000 men were arrested for homosexuality in Nazi Germany. Some 50,000 were sentenced for their so-called crimes, and an estimated 5,000-15,000 gay men were sent to concentration camps.

Designed by French artist/gay activist Jean-Luc Verna the monument consists of a giant star wand lying on the ground, which is dark on one side and silver on the other.   Verna, who is also an LGBTQ+ activist, said there is a “black side in front of us, forcing us to remember” and at “certain times of the day, it casts a long shadow on the ground, evoking the dangers looming over, sadly.  

The global queer community is more than aware that Trump’s actions very scarily are starting to resemble the early actions of the thosen German fascists. He has already signed a raft of  executive orders aimed at removing the rights of transgender Americans, including proclaiming the official policy of the US is that there are “only two sexes”, restricting gender-affirming healthcare for trans youngsters under the age 19, eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programmes across the government and in the military and banning trans pepople