# Hitler-Parkinson's? Gay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570 "2006-05-05T17:36:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solkoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@solkoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solkoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/1 "2006-05-05T17:36:02Z")
I was watching a video on Canada’s History channel a while back. It made some rather interesting allegations regarding Hitler’s personal life. Firstly, they were pretty sure that he developed Parkinson’s and the second was that he may have been gay. Can someone give me some clarity on either, or both matters? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/2 "2006-05-05T17:50:06Z")
Hitler-Parkinson’s was _sooooo_ gay. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/3 "2006-05-05T17:53:44Z")
What’s the evidence that he might have been gay? He was thin and neat? I would think that at the very least he was bi, what with the whole Eva Braun thing goin’ on. But I never heard the theory he was gay (or had Parkinson’s). ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/4 "2006-05-05T18:08:44Z")
I don’t think that there’s really much evidence for Hitler being gay, other than commentary by people who knew him (and had strong reason to bad mouth him after the war) saying that Eva was a trophy girlfriend. The Parkinson’s has a little more evidence behind it, since in some film clips there’s shots of Hitler showing a pronounced tremor in his hands, and stiffness in his movements, which are symptoms of Parkinson’s. Of course, Hitler’s quack was shooting him up with all kinds of crazy chemicals, so the combination and dosage levels may have caused the symptoms he displayed. Hitler’s body was never autopsied so giving a definate answer to the question is difficult, if not impossible, ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/5 "2006-05-05T18:23:23Z")
The Uniball Bi-Shaker was a popular dance back during the big one. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/6 "2006-05-05T18:27:01Z")
Saw a documentary a while ago exploring some analysis by psychologists hired by US government to create a profile of Hitler. Profile was spot on with regards to how he would react as the war progressed - e.g. he would allow total destruction in preference to surrender. It also made claims, obviously harder to back up, that he was a sexual deviant and enjoyed having a particular young woman urinate on him. There was some corroborative evidence in the form of statements of people close to him pre-war but nothing concrete. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/7 "2006-05-05T18:37:35Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > Saw a documentary a while ago exploring some analysis by psychologists hired by US government to create a profile of Hitler. Profile was spot on with regards to how he would react as the war progressed… Um, wouldn’t it be pretty easy to create this profile after the fact? I mean, I could give you a profile of how Hitler would react as the war progressed that would be spot-on too. I don’t know anything about psychology, but I do have access to history books. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/8 "2006-05-05T18:39:45Z")
Sorry. As I hit post, I realized you probably meant these psychologists were hired before/during the war. Forget it. :rolleyes: Where’s the embarrassed smiley? ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/9 "2006-05-05T18:44:49Z")
a quick google search led me to a couple wiki articles: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf\_Hitler's\_medical\_health](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_medical_health) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor\_Morell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Morell) According to these he was being shot up with all kinds of (unnecessary) dope on a regular basis and possibly syphlitic. > [@wikipedia](#): > > In his book Explaining Hitler, Rosenbaum sarcastically remarked that theories concerning Hitler’s mental state and sexual activity shed more light on the theorists than on Hitler. > > **Autopsy comment on anatomy** > The Soviet autopsy stated Hitler’s left testicle was missing, but this was post-war propaganda (see Hitler has only got one ball). Lev Bezymenski, who authored the autopsy report, later admitted it was falsified. Hitler was routinely examined by many doctors throughout his childhood, military service and later political career, and no clinical mention of any such condition has ever been discovered. Records do show he was wounded in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, and some sources describe his injury as a wound to the groin. Hitler’s World War I company commander said a VD exam found that Hitler had only one testicle, but this individual was known to be politically critical of Hitler, and no documentation of the exam seems to exist. I have seen archival footage of Hitler shot in late 1944 where he held one hand behind his back, apparently because he could not control it’s shaking. I don’t know if that’s more likely to be due to Parkinson’s disease or symptomatic of atropine/cocaine/strychnine/amphetimine/testostreone/placenta/bull testicle extract injections. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/10 "2006-05-05T18:54:53Z")
I’ve seen the shaking attributed to injuries due to the bomb plot. He suffered wounds to his right hand, and it could have been due to damage infliced by the bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/11 "2006-05-05T21:12:23Z")
There are tremors that are not caused by Parkinson’s. There’s a tremor that has run through at least four generations of my family, and not a single family member has ever had Parkinson’s. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/12 "2006-05-05T21:23:08Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > I don’t think that there’s really much evidence for Hitler being gay, other than commentary by people who knew him (and had strong reason to bad mouth him after the war) saying that Eva was a trophy girlfriend. [nitpick] What you’re referring to is a “beard,” not a “trophy girlfriend.” Not the same thing. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/13 "2006-05-05T21:39:08Z")
Re Hitler being gay, 5 years ago this book was published: “The Hidden Hitler”, by Lothar Machtan, John Brownjohn. Machtan is a History professor at a German university. It’s fairly controversial, between critics who say the book is mostly speculation, with little evidence, and those who say ‘what does it matter if he was gay?’. It was not a particularily good selling book. It’s available from Amazon for 3¢, or 44¢ in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/14 "2006-05-05T23:08:28Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > \ > > It was not a particularily good selling book. It’s available from Amazon for 3¢, or 44¢ in Canada. LOL. I was whooshed on this. I actually looked it up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/15 "2006-05-05T23:40:20Z")
> [@solkoe](#): > > I was watching a video on Canada’s History channel a while back. It made some rather interesting allegations regarding Hitler’s personal life. Firstly, they were pretty sure that he developed Parkinson’s and the second was that he may have been gay. Can someone give me some clarity on either, or both matters? Thanks. Lots of speculation, no definitive and exclusive evidence. That is, no evidence shows that these **were** aspects of him and could not be explained by anything else. There must be a shorter way of saying that, but as it’s Friday… :rolleyes: Gay? It would be hard to prove that of someone even _today_. In those days, nearly impossible if one was determined to hide it. He certainly wasn’t a womanizer, but that’s no indication of anything. Being afraid of/intimidated by/repulsed by women is not the same as being gay. I suspect that Hitler did not like or trust women much, other than Eva Braun. She seems to have adored him. By the way, Ernst Roelm, head of the SA, was most definitely gay, and fairly open about it. I don’t think we have enough evidence to support a differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s. Hitler’s doctor was shooting him up with a variety of stimulants, and then he nearly escaped death in the July 20th, 1944 bombing. That along with his impending doom at the end of the war would be enough to give the shakes to _anyone_. And don’t forget that today’s (ie, May 5, 2006) article is on Parkinson’s Syndrome in boxers! ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/16 "2006-05-06T08:02:18Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > [nitpick] > What you’re referring to is a “beard,” not a “trophy girlfriend.” Not the same thing. > [/nitpick] Well, she’s a “beard” if he’s gay, but if he’s **not** gay, then she’s a “trophy” girlfriend. Apparently, he and Eva rarely, if ever, made the beast with double backs (there’s a pleasant image, eh?) and there’s some speculation that he kept her around solely for appearances. Again, this is **no** indication that he was gay, since he apparently was greatly attached to a woman in his younger years who committed suicide. it’s entirely possible that he was so devoted to the woman who killed herself that he didn’t have any desire for any other women, and only kept Eva around to quell speculations of his homosexuality (since that was technically against Nazi ideals, though it was ignored when it came to useful inner party members). ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/17 "2006-05-06T08:52:13Z")
Hitler’s handwriting showed progressing signs of Micrographia, too, as I recall. Usually a good indicator of a Parkinsonian disorder. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/18 "2006-05-06T14:59:03Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Well, she’s a “beard” if he’s gay, but if he’s **not** gay, then she’s a “trophy” girlfriend. Continuing this hijack, a ‘trophy girlfriend’ is a particularly good-looking or desireable girlfriend, who would inspire envy in other men. It can also have the negative connotation that she is perhaps lacking in intelligence/ personality. I can’t imagine Goebbels or Himmler nudging each other and saying “Mein Gott! Vot a hottie!” when [Eva](http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/Eva_Braun/images/Eva_Braun_1936_450.jpg) appeared on Adolf’s arm. ---
**Author:** ![username\_taken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c0e974/32.png) [@username\_taken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/username_taken)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/19 "2006-05-06T15:19:51Z")
Don’t want to hijack the OPs thread, but can someone explain what happened to Hitler from the July 1944 assassination attempt. This was the one that caused the purging of the generals, and death to Rommel, right? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570/20 "2006-05-06T15:20:30Z")
“Beard” has _nothing_ to do with sexual orientation. Cf. Woody Allen’s film “Broadway Danny Rose” where his character is talked into being the beard for his client’s girlfriend. Given that the term comes out of the culture the film is based on, I hardly doubt Allen’s usage is a mistake. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-parkinsons-gay/355570.md?page=2)