Men, Heroes and Gay Nazis

The documentary explores this paradox through the testimonies of four gay men involved in right-wing politics. One participant at the Berlin gay march explicitly notes this absurdity, stating that if the gay far right and neo-Nazis had lived in the era they admire, they would have been exterminated. The film presents these cases without moralizing, showing how factors like desire for belonging, masculine identity, fear, and personal loyalty can lead individuals to align with movements that historically threatened their existence.

Bela Ewald Althans was arrested in 1994 and spent 21 months in jail for Holocaust denial, which was captured on camera during a visit to Auschwitz for a documentary. After his release, he transitioned away from his prominent neo-Nazi role, works in advertising today, and remains involved in the gay community. He describes his evolution into self-acceptance as gradual rather than sudden, and states he does not regret his past.

Earlier in the film, the documentary sets up that Althans emerged from a storied chapter of neo-Nazi history as a leading figure who admired Adolf Hitler.

Michael Kühnen was a prominent neo-Nazi who kept his homosexuality secret until 1981, when he published a booklet titled 'National Socialism and Homosexuality' and came out as gay. He argued that gay men could be formidable fighters because they are less bound by family ties and more bonded to their comrades. Kühnen was killed during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, though the documentary notes Kühnen died of AIDS in 1991 after being ostracized by former supporters for coming out.

The film foreshadows Kühnen's story when discussing how extremist currents have intersected with homosexual identities throughout German history.

Ernst Röhm, co-founder of the SA, was openly gay and a close ally of Hitler who relied on him for violence and power. Hitler knew about Röhm's homosexuality but tolerated it because of his usefulness. In 1934, during the Night of the Long Knives, Röhm was arrested and killed as Hitler consolidated control over the Nazi party and eliminated potential rivals. The purge targeted not just Röhm but several SA leaders who posed a threat to Hitler's growing power.

The documentary mentions that Röhm's deputy Edmund Heines was also targeted, and the film discusses the chilling environment around the Nazi leadership before this purge.

Between 5,000 and 15,000 gay men were killed in concentration camps during the Nazi regime. The documentary recounts how gay Holocaust survivor Pierre Seel was imprisoned at Schirmeck-Vorbruck, where he witnessed a young friend being eaten alive by dogs. This brutal treatment was part of the broader pattern of state brutality toward perceived deviance, with Nazi Germany targeting homosexuality as a threat to their vision of racial purity.

Jörg Fischer spent nine years as an active member of the extreme-right parties NPD and DVU while having a relationship with another male party member. They shared intimate moments for years but never spoke about sex or used the word 'gay.' Fischer left these organizations in 1991, rejecting their anti-immigrant and anti-gay stances, and later found another male partner. His story illustrates how personal loyalties and public commitments can diverge, with private identity remaining hidden even within intimate relationships.

Rudolf Hess wrote love letters and poems to men during his youth and showed no interest in women at that time. He only married later at Adolf Hitler's urging. The documentary uses these details to underscore the hidden homoerotic currents within the Nazi inner circle, showing how personal lives often contradicted the regime's public ideology.

Andre is a skinhead who defines violence as the courage to defend himself and as a visible expression of the warrior spirit within. He is openly gay and tolerated by some fellow skinheads, though he lives under constant threat. Over time, his path leads away from the skinheads toward conservative political currents, showing how personal identity and political allegiance can shift in response to fear and the desire for belonging.

Alexander Schlesinger, from East Germany, is involved in a political party with extreme-right views. He argues that being gay does not make someone inherently better and that a gay person can be racist. He articulates a controversial ideal: 'We gay men are drawn toward a masculine ideal. I can't stand a screaming queen.' His comments show how some individuals reconcile sexuality with harsh gendered expectations and racist political ideology, believing masculinity and strength are separate from sexual orientation.

Director Rosa von Praunheim deliberately avoids casting these gay neo-Nazis as monsters, instead presenting their lives as a dramatic contradiction between identity and extremist ideology. The documentary examines how sexuality, identity, and political extremism have intersected in Germany's past and present. It invites viewers to consider the unsettling ways personal beliefs and public ideologies can collide, blur, or persist across generations without providing easy answers or moral judgment.

Michael Kühnen kept his homosexuality secret until 1981 when a young gay neo-Nazi named Johannes Bugner was killed in Hamburg for his sexual orientation. This event prompted Kühnen to publish his booklet coming out as gay, in which he argued that gay men could be formidable fighters because they have no families and are more closely bonded to their comrades. The murder of Bugner served as the catalyst for Kühnen's public declaration.

The documentary mentions this killing as a pivotal moment that influenced Kühnen's decision to break his silence about his sexuality.