Paragraph 175 was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made sexual relations between males a crime, and in early revisions the provision also criminalized bestiality as well as forms of prostitution and underage sexual abuse. The law inspired the first homosexual movement, which called for its repeal.
In 1897, Magnus Hirschfeld founded the world's first homosexual organization, whose aim was to improve public tolerance of homosexuality and repeal Paragraph 175. During the German Empire, the movement was restricted to the wealthy elite, but it greatly expanded in the aftermath of World War I and the German Revolution.
Hirschfeld was born in Kolberg in Pomerania to an Ashkenazi Jewish family.