An alliance of queer organizations is calling for improvements to the proposed Berlin Violence Assistance Act. Queer people would need to be explicitly named in the law and clearly taken into account when it comes to protection and advisory rights, the coalition said on Tuesday. Otherwise, existing gaps in the violence-protection system could remain.
The initiative launched an online petition and urged a rally for Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. in front of the Berlin House of Representatives. The event coincides with the committee’s consideration of the bill in the Committee on Integration, Women and Equality, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination.
Background comes from studies showing that violence in queer relationships is not a fringe issue. More than a third of surveyed LGBTI people reported experiences of violence in partnerships, while among nonbinary individuals the share is over 50 percent. Trans people are also disproportionately affected. At the same time, there are significant barriers to accessing support services, such as a lack of sensitivity or explicit exclusion experiences.
“We therefore demand the explicit naming of LGBTQIA+ persons in the law, as well as the structural safeguarding of specialized, discrimination-sensitive protection and advisory services,” said Leo Yannick Wild, the lead of the TIN*-Anti-Violence Counseling program at the Berlin Gay Counseling Center. The initiative urged lawmakers to revise the draft accordingly. A law that does not explicitly address queer people would fall short of Berlin’s claim to be the ‘Rainbow Capital.’
