To commemorate Ravensbrück liberation anniversary, Queer code presents four digital mappings depicting the routes followed by five German and French lesbians: Elsa Conrad, Henny Schermann, Marguerite Chabiron, Suzanne Leclezio and Yvonne Ziegler. All were arrested and deported, one to Moringen, the others to Ravensbrück. They were arrested because they were either resistance fighters, openly lesbians, Jewish or “non-Aryan”. Each route is different and reflects upon the hierarchization and destruction of certain categories of population that fuelled the Nazi ideology. Despite the systemic processes of invisibility that affect lesbian history, fragments of these routes are still available to us thanks to the commitment of German women historians and German, French and European lesbian activists. We have fostered a dynamic of cooperation between historians, activists and members of our social families or chosen families, as well as researchers, in order to produce these digital mappings in a collective manner. This is our way of helping open the closet of the history of deportation.
Initially, our intention was to present these routes at the Ravensbrück Memorial during the Anniversary ceremony in April 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the celebration has been cancelled. We hope be able to present our exhibition sometime in the future.
With the support of the LIG, Lestime and EL*C.