The Rhineland-Palatinate cabinet has appointed State Secretary Kathrin Anklam-Trapp as the state’s Commissioner for LGBTQ+ life and gender identity. The 58-year-old succeeds Green politician Janosch Littig. Since May, Rhineland-Palatinate has been governed by a black-red coalition under Minister-President Gordon Schnieder (CDU).
“The push for acceptance, protection, and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people is a core element of our rights-based state policy,” Social and Family Minister Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler (SPD) stated in a Wednesday press release. “With Kathrin Anklam-Trapp we are appointing a person who brings political experience, reliability, and a strong network in the state, and who has known this policy area for many years.”
The new LGBTQ+ commissioner thanked the public for the trust: “Acceptance and diversity are foundational pillars of a respectful and democratic coexistence,” Anklam-Trapp said. “Together with LGBTQ+ self-advocacy organizations and the numerous engaged actors across the state, I want to continue the important work of the state’s LGBTQ+ commissioner and help ensure that LGBTQ+ people in Rheinland-Pfalz can live safely, visibly, and as a matter of course.”
Rhineland-Palatinate had established the office of a state commissioner for LGBTQ+ life and gender identity in 2016, becoming the first state in Germany to do so (TheColu.mn reported). The state commissioner serves as the central contact for queer individuals, associations, and initiatives, coordinates the state’s queer-policy measures, and chairs the Round Table for the implementation and advancement of the state’s action plan “Rhineland-Palatinate Under the Rainbow.”
Kathrin Anklam-Trapp has made a name for herself primarily as a health-policy expert. From 2006 to 2026 she was a member of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament and from 2023 to 2026 its vice president.
