Deregulation of §175
Section 175 of the German Criminal Code had criminalized sexual acts between men* since 1871 and was used to persecute homosexuals, particularly after it was tightened by the Nazis in 1935. After years of lobbying by the homophile movement, it was relaxed in the Federal Republic of Germany on September 1, 1969. A second reform followed in 1973. Since then, sexual acts with male minors under the age of 18 were punishable, whereas the age of consent for lesbian and heterosexual acts was 14. It was not until June 10, 1994, that §175 was completely removed from the German Criminal Code (StGB); the convictions handed down under this provision were not largely overturned until 2017. ...