Educational Work | |||||
Staff members at the Institute saw the widespread dissemination of sexual scientific knowledge as one of its main tasks: sexual education. Particularly the guided tours
4 through the Institute attracted many visitors. But it was, above all the much-frequented lectures by the Institute staff to young people and adults in Germany and abroad which sparked fierce public debates and attacks. The lectures were published as brochures and books to sexually educate young and old alike. The most well-known of these were works by Max Hodann and Magnus Hirschfeld. Some of these publications were censored by the State from time to time. Until the early 20s, one of the first homosexual journals, the "Yearbook of Sexual Transitions" ("Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen - 1899-1923) had been published at the Institute. As from the beginning of the 20s, the supplement "Sexual Reform" of the sexological journal "Gender and Society" ("Geschlecht und Gesellschaft"), which had come out since since 1905, became the Institute's official news-letter. "Geschlecht und Gesellschaft" was edited by the Institute staff member Baron von Reitzenstein in the early 20s. In the late 20s, Institute staff began editing and publishing popular-scientific magazines to advance sexual education and reforms (e.g. "Die Aufklärung" 3 by Magnus Hirschfeld and "Die Ehe" by Ludwig Levy-Lenz). As early as 1919, the Institute introduced the use of slides and cinematographic means to its educational work. The most well-known film Hirschfeld contributed to was "Different from the Others" ("Anders als die Anderen") 1 2 . Its screening triggered widespread protest. In May 1929, film censorship was introduced again so that the film could only be shown privately for scientific purposes. Only fragments of "Different from the Others" have survived; this was also the fate of "Laws of Love - From a Sexual Researcher's Files" ("Gesetze der Liebe - Aus der Mappe eines Sexualforschers") which was completely mutilated as result of cuts ordered by the censorship authorities. Hirschfeld participated in the making of 8 other films, the whereabouts of which are still unknown.
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