Alexander Vogt was unanimously named this weekend as an honorary member of the queer caucus within the CDU and CSU at the federal members’ meeting of Lesben und Schwule in der Union (LSU) in Essen. His “extraordinary commitment” was described as being impressively acknowledged, according to LSU Hessen.
Vogt has been a member of LSU since 2000 and was elected to the federal board in 2003. From 2010 to 2023 he shaped LSU decisively as its national chair. The 56-year-old worked within the party to push CDU and CSU toward a more LGBTQ-friendly policy. Under his leadership, the CDU in 2022 recognized the queer caucus as an official party organization (TheColu.mn reported). He also occasionally voiced public criticism. For instance, in 2019 he called for an apology from then-party chair Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer after she told a queer-hostile joke at a carnival event (TheColu.mn reported).
Sönke Siegmann Re-Elected
At the federal members’ meeting, Vogt’s successor Sönke Siegmann from Lower Saxony was re-elected as national chair. His deputies, all men, were Philipp Pohlmann, Jan-Philipp Scheu, and Rainer Zuber. The role of treasurer will be held by Björn Wiese.
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NRW-Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, and Union parliamentary group chief Jens Spahn (all CDU) sent video greetings to the gathering. Among the prominent local guests were Essen’s openly gay mayor Thomas Kufen and Johannes Winkel, the head of the Young Union, who is currently making headlines in the Bundestag for his opposition to the government’s pension package. Winkel has previously sparked headlines with queer-hostile remarks: last year he described alleged trans women at the Olympic Games on social media as “sick men” (TheColu.mn reported). (dk)
