The Einstein of Sex

By: Sarah Solomon

The movie The Einstein of Sex takes place from the late 19^th century and early 20^th century, during the early stages of the Nazi reign in Europe. This biography documented the triumphs and tribulations of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the “Einstein of Sex”.

The movie opens with Hirschfeld as a child, drawing pictures of animals having sexual intercourse and performing sexual acts on each other. Immediately, the viewer is made aware that Hirschfeld is no ordinary child. The film then progresses to depict Hirschfeld’s life from childhood until death. He attended medical school to become a doctor through the guidance of his family. His work was revolutionary.

Hirschfeld’s practice was both controversial and illegal. Paragraph 175, the law that made homosexual acts criminalized was enforced throughout his time of practice. Although Hirschfeld made great strides in its repeal, he never lived to see his hard work pay off.

This movie portrayed societal views of sexuality extremely well. The viewer truly got a sense of the severity of Paragraph 175. If caught performing an “unnatural” act, one’s life and career could be over. This in turn caused Hirschfeld to be cautious about his personal life. It seemed as if he was living a double life. When discussing his patients, he was completely open and in favor of homosexual rights, but in the privacy of his own home, he rarely indulged in sexual pleasure. And for good reason.

The Einstein of Sex concludes with the Nazis invading his home and practice and destroying everything. This movie conveys a lot about society as a whole. During the Nazi reign, people that were accused of being homosexual were either executed or sent away to concentration camps.

Although these actions seem utterly severe and harsh to us now, it is important to remember that these events occurred less one hundred years ago. There is a strong movement within the United States to “return to tradition”. The new members of Congress are instilling fear in the American people. Different is wrong. Normal is good.