LID Statement on Sheepshead Bay Holocaust Memorial

As long-time supporters of an inclusive Holocaust memorial, Lambda Independent Democrats is pleased that the memorial in Sheepshead Bay will respectfully honor and remember the more than 5,000 homosexuals who were persecuted, tortured, and murdered by the Nazis during their reign of terror from 1933 to 1945. While the Nazis focused on the annihilation of Jews, which resulted in the brutal murders of more than 6 million Jews, it is important to remember and commemorate all victims of the Nazi regime, including the nearly 5 million homosexuals, Russian soldiers and civilians, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, political prisoners, disabled people, and Catholics. When we acknowledge the true scope of Nazi atrocities we are also able to fully reject the hatred, bigotry, and evil that instigated such acts. We therefore reject the efforts of some who would choose to use a memorial in remembrance of all those lost during the Holocaust to divide us, rather than to unite all against hate, persecution, and genocide.