Dr. Rudolf Klimmer

I recently uncovered a fascinating and heroic figure in my research: Dr. Rudolf Klimmer, born May 17, 1905 in Dresden.

He studied medicine at the University of Leipzig and earned his doctorate in 1930. However, his career was abruptly derailed in 1933 when the Nazis came to power, he was fired from his position as an assistant doctor. He took a job as a ship’s doctor on the Hamburg America Line before eventually returning to Germany.

On November 24, 1937, Klimmer was arrested in Frankfurt am Main alongside his lover, Ludwig Munninger, and sentenced to five months in prison under Paragraph 175, the law criminalizing homosexuality. He was also banned from practicing medicine. Further persecuted, he was sentenced to another year in prison on January 24, 1941, and had his doctorate stripped by the University of Leipzig. To protect himself and his lesbian friend, Martha Brumecki, he entered a marriage of convenience with her in 1943.

After the war, Dr. Klimmer became one of East Germany’s most influential sexologists and a tireless advocate for gay rights. He lobbied the government directly, achieving a ban on arrests for Paragraph 175 after 1957, and in 1968, he successfully fought for the repeal of Paragraph 175 in East Germany, long before West Germany followed suit.

Dr. Klimmer’s legacy is one of courage, advocacy, and change. He passed away in Wuppertal on July 26, 1977, leaving behind a powerful impact on LGBTQ+ history.

For survivors who not only endured persecution but later fought for justice and equality, I am dedicating full, vibrant paintings on canvas, like this one.