Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been urged to ensure the inclusion of gay men and other persecuted minorities in Australia’s new Holocaust museums.
Last week, Frydenberg spoke at Hobart Synagogue to announce funding for one such museum in the Tasmanian city.
He spoke of the importance of remembering the horrors and atrocities of the Nazi regime.
“This is an example of what we can do, to ensure future generations say, ‘Never again’,” Frydenberg said.
“I remember growing up in Melbourne with my great aunt [who] survived Auschwitz and had a number on her arm.
“My wife’s grandmother lost both her parents and nine siblings. My wife’s grandfather lost his mother and eight siblings.
“The scale of the death and destruction must never, ever be forgotten.
“It can happen again.”
LGBTIQ advocate Rodney Croome has applauded the planned Holocaust museum in his home state and the ongoing remembrance of the Jewish victims.
“Our hope is that the museums will also present information about the other groups who were persecuted under Nazism,” he said.
“These include LGBTIQ people, people with disability, Roma, political prisoners, and various religious, racial, ethnic and language groups.
“Often the persecution of different groups intersected.”
Rodney Croome said the Nazi regime arrested as many as 100,000 gay men, with many then sent to concentration camps.
Read the article by Jordan Hirst in QNews.