I'm Eric Marcus and this is making gay history.

I'm Eric Marcus and this is Making Gay History.

If you've listened to our first three seasons,

you know what to expect from a Making Gay History episode.

We explore LGBTQ History guided by the voices of the people who lived it. I'm afraid that's not going to be possible this week. You see, I'd like to share with

you the story of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the founder of the world's first gay rights movement,

who more than a century ago put his life on the line

to stand up for LGBTQ people.

Hirschfeld said,

quote, soon the day will come when science will win victory over error, justice of

victory over injustice, and human love of victory over human hatred and ignorance.

And the reason I read that quote aloud rather than just playing you archival tape is because all

recordings of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld's voice have been lost.

But by following his words and his work, we're going to tell you his story.

This past spring, I traveled to Germany. I hope to track down some little known pieces of

LGBTQ history, at least little known to me, and to meet some of the history detectives

working to reconstruct a scattered legacy.

So here's the scene.

Berlin, May 2018.

I'm in Charlettenburg, an upscale neighborhood in the western part of the city.

I'm with a group of scholars, researchers, and relatives of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, we've come together to honor the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Here, in front of where Hirschfeld once lived, a monument now stands.

...