Editing Paragraph 175 (section)

{{short description|Provision of the German Criminal Code regarding homosexual acts (1871–1994)}}
{{for|the film|Paragraph 175 (film){{!}}''Paragraph 175'' (film)}}
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[[File:§175 chart of convictions.png|thumb|upright=1.6|Graph of convictions under Paragraph 175. Spike occurs during [[Zeit des Nationalsozialismus|Nazi era]], and dropoff after partial repeal in 1969.  Note: "BRD" refers to [[West Germany]] ({{Lang|de|Bundesrepublik Deutschland}}).]]
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'''Paragraph 175,''' known formally as [https://lexetius.com/StGB/175,2 §175 StGB] and also referred to as '''Section 175''' in [[English language|English]], was a provision of the [[Strafgesetzbuch|German Criminal Code]] from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-06 |title=German 'gay' paragraph abolished 25 years ago |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-gay-paragraph-175-abolished-25-years-ago/a-49124549 |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=DW |language=en}}</ref> It [[Criminalization of homosexuality|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]]. Overall, around 140,000 men were convicted under the law. The law had always been controversial and inspired the [[first homosexual movement]], which called for its repeal.

The statute drew legal influence from previous measures, including those undertaken by the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and [[Prussian state]]s. It was amended several times. The [[Nazi Germany|Nazis]] broadened the law in 1935 as part of [[Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany|the most severe persecution of homosexual men in history]]. It was one of the few Nazi-era laws to be retained in their original form in [[West Germany]], although [[East Germany]] reverted to the pre-Nazi version.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} In 1987, the law was ruled unconstitutional in East Germany, and it was repealed there in 1989.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} In West Germany, the law was revised in 1969,{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} whereby the criminal liability of homosexual adults (then aged 21 and over) was abolished but remained applicable to sex with a man less than 21 years old, homosexual prostitution, and the exploitation of a relationship of dependency. The law was again revised in 1973{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} by lowering the age of consent to 18 years, and it was finally repealed in 1994.