Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust
Thursday, Jun 15, 2023
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Live at the Weitzman Museum
5pm Doors | 6pm Program
$15 GA | $10 Weitzman Members
$45 GA with signed copy of the Book | $40 Weitzman Member Book bundle
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Join us in commemorating Pride Month with a compelling discussion on the intersection of LGBTQ+ history and the Holocaust. Delve into the legacy of the pink triangle and how knowledge of the Holocaust shaped the fight for queer liberation and influenced American gay rights activism. As a symbol used by the Nazis to identify and persecute queer men and transgender women, the pink triangle has since been reclaimed as a symbol of resistance and pride. Our panel of experts include include organizers and activists from Queer communities across Philadelphia including Galia Godel (J. Proud Philly), Jazmyn Henderson (ACT UP Philadelphia) and Mark Segal (Philadelphia Gay News). Together the group will explore the significance of the pink triangle and its impact on LGBTQ+ history and culture.
The event will be moderated by W. Jake Newsome, author of “Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust,” who will guide us through the complex history and meaning of this important symbol. Jake Newsome is an accomplished author and scholar who has extensively researched the pink triangle and its impact on LGBTQ+ history and culture.
Make sure to stick around for a special book sale and signing featuring Jake Newsome and Mark Segal! Get a discount on the Pink Triangle Legacies by choosing the book bundle ticket option, and purchase extra copies here. You can also purchase a copy of Segal’s And Then I Danced: Traveling the Road to LGBT Equality here.
More about the Moderator
Dr. Jake Newsome is an award-winning scholar of German and American LGBTQ+ history whose research and resources educate global audiences. His new book Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust (Cornell University Press) tells the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community’s original pride symbol. It traces the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge into a widespread emblem of queer liberation, pride, and community. The Lambda Literary Foundation recently named Pink Triangle Legacies as one of its most anticipated new LGBTQIA+ books of 2022.
Since earning his Ph.D. in history in 2016, Dr. Newsome has published in academic journals as well as popular outlets like the Washington Post, and has appeared as a guest on numerous podcasts, including Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. In addition to serving as a historical advisor for film projects, exhibits, and plays, Dr. Newsome has been invited by the French, UK, and US governments to speak about the important lessons that LGBTQ+ history has for all of us today. He now works as a museum professional in Washington, DC.
More about the Panelists
Galia Godel (she/he) is the program manager of the LGBTQ Initiative at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia. Galia has over a decade of experience in LGBTQ education and activism, and works in her free time as a sex educator and communication coach for learners with intellectual disabilities and autism. He is also the organizer of J.Proud, the Greater Philadelphia consortium of Jewish organizations committed to LGBTQ Inclusivity, and leads the queer havurah at his synagogue, Kol Tzedek. When not working, Galia can be found attempting ambitious home improvement projects or feeding her sourdough starter.
Jazmyn Henderson (she/her) is an activist who began working with ACTUP Philadelphia in 2013. Henderson’s works to serve those most effected by the ongoing HIV epidemic- in that work she focuses on issues which exacerbate infections such as housing, healthcare, trans rights, systemic racism and poverty. She also helped cofound Black and LatinX Community Control of Health– a committee of Black and Brown, Poz, Queer and Trans community members who envision a world where community has full control of its overall well being. The group’s official mission states, “We envision a world where Black, Brown, trans, queer, poz people have a divine right to embrace the holistic remedies of our ancestors. We seek a patient-first and patient-vote model of care and reject the current profit-driven western medical model. Our community is dying, our systems fail us. We know we are the experts, therefore we should be at the front of all policy recommendations. Our health and our lives are always at the hands of others. No more..”
Mark Segal has established a reputation as the dean of American gay journalism over the past five decades. From the Stonewall demonstrations in 1969 to founding the Philadelphia Gay News in 1975, along with his more recent forays into TV and politics, his proven commitment as a tireless LGBT advocate has made him a force to be reckoned with. Respected by his peers for pioneering the idea of local LGBT newspapers, he is one of the founders and former president of both the National Gay Press Association and the National Gay Newspaper Guild. Segal was recently inducted into the National Lesbian & Gay Journalist Association’s Hall of Fame and was appointed a member of the Comcast/ NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Board, where he advises the entertainment giant on LGBT issues. He is also president of the dmhFund, though which he builds affordable LGBT- friendly housing for seniors. He lives in Philadelphia.
Safety / Covid 19:
*This event will occur in the 5th FLoor Ballroom.
*Masking in the museum is recommended.
Live at The Weitzman
101 South Independence Mall East (Corner of 5th & Market)
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Produced by the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in partnership with the William Way Community Center, Gratz College, J Proud Philly, 3G Philly, The Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center, The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, and Congregation Rodeph Shalom. The program is inspired by the Weitzman Museum’s special exhibition, “The Future Will Follow the Past”, and is presented in honor of Pride Month.
