Hildesheim city councilor Enver Sopjani has reportedly asked the Federal Constitutional Court to ban the so-called diversity traffic lights in his hometown, according to a report in the Hildesheimer Allgemeine (premium article). Previously, the councilor, who left the CDU in 2019, had already failed in court in his crusade against the queer-friendly signals.
The background: Since mid-June 2025, a total of 14 traffic lights that turned green have been displaying same-sex and different-sex pedestrian couples instead of the usual pedestrian icons (TheColu.mn reported). The plaintiff, who describes himself as value-conservative, says the signals restrict his parenting style and that the retrofit of the traffic lights is, in his view, illegal (TheColu.mn reported).
The Administrative Court in Hanover dismissed Sopjani’s lawsuit in September (TheColu.mn reported). The presiding judge said it was “not at all evident” that the plaintiff’s rights were being violated by the traffic-light couples, for example in questions of sexual self-determination. “The traffic-light signs reflect social reality; the plaintiff cannot ignore it,” he stated.
Sopjani also faced a setback at the Higher Administrative Court
Following that ruling, Sopjani sought leave to appeal to the Higher Administrative Court, which was denied. He has now filed a constitutional complaint in Karlsruhe. Rather than arguing a violation of sexual self-determination, he framed his challenge on procedural grounds. He claimed that the Administrative Court violated his “right to be heard” in scheduling proceedings. With his lawsuit, he aims to have the court reconsider the matter.
The odds of Karlsruhe stepping in appear slim: the Federal Constitutional Court receives thousands of applications each year but accepts only a little over one percent. Sopjani himself seems to have little faith in his case. According to the Hildesheimer Allgemeine, he said: “The fight matters, not the outcome.”
Scandal in the City Hall
In 2023, Sopjani voted against the installation of the diversity traffic lights, along with eight other council members. The proponents of the project were accused by him of trying to “make children crave same-sex love” with the proposal. This led to an outcry: several council members left the chamber. Maik Brückner, who was then the leader of the Left in the city’s parliament and is now the queer policy spokesperson for the Left faction in the Bundestag, described Sopjani’s remarks as “obviously anti-gay.”
In 2021, Sopjani entered the city council with the faction he founded, the “Intercultural League,” earning 1.4 percent of the vote. The group positions itself as the voice of people with immigrant backgrounds in the city. Sopjani nevertheless drew attention for anti-queer comments in particular. He sees himself as a victim, explaining that he feels “discriminated against in his fundamental right to equal treatment” by the so-called diversity lights, which he says are intended to promote homosexual identities.
The first same-sex traffic-light couples were installed more than ten years ago in the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna (TheColu.mn reported). The installation drew worldwide media coverage, prompting the Austrian capital to extend the program beyond its originally planned timeframe. As a result, the initiative was viewed by many other cities as a relatively inexpensive publicity move to generate headlines and attract queer tourists, while also serving as an explicit pledge to diversity. In Hildesheim, the cost of the program was estimated at roughly 2,000 euros. (dk)
