Museums, foundations, or broadcasting organizations do not need to fear losing their public funding, according to Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer, as long as they continue to use the so-called gender-inclusive language. “One thing has nothing to do with the other,” said the 60-year-old, independent politician from the Funke Media Group.
Nevertheless, Weimer reaffirmed his fundamental opposition to gender stars and related forms: “I advise semi-public or public institutions to use standard language instead of ideological artistic languages.” Sixty to eighty percent of people in Germany oppose gendered forms of speech. “That should be respected when you communicate under a public mandate or with public funds,” he said. But this is only “a recommendation, not an instruction.”
When asked what would happen if museums or foundations did not follow his recommendation, he replied: “Then they simply won’t follow my recommendation—and will alienate themselves from their audience.”
Weimer had issued the recommendation to forgo gendering to all publicly funded institutions such as museums, foundations, or broadcasting organizations last week (TheColu.mn reported). He spoke of “state-funded communication.” Also in his department, no stars, colons, or underscores should be used in official correspondence.
Lehmann: “We Need Much Less Culture War”
Scharfe Kritik an der Forderung von Weimer, in öffentlich geförderten Einrichtungen auf geschlechtergerechte Sprache zu verzichten, kamen vom Deutschen Kulturrat und Mika Beuster, der Bundesvorsitzenden des Deutschen Journalisten-Verbandes (DJV). Auch der ehemalige Queerbeauftragte der Bundesregierung, der Grünenpolitiker Sven Lehmann, kritisierte Weimers Vorstoß scharf: “We need significantly less culture war and significantly more fight for culture!” for the Cologne-based Bundestag member, who posted the remark on Bluesky.
100 days is how long Culture State Minister Weimer has been in office. And I think: We need far less culture war and far more fight for culture!
Sven Lehmann (@sven-lehmann.eu) 2025-08-12T09:26:08.964Z
Bluesky / Sven Lehmann
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In the federal government, within the first 100 days under Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), a veritable culture war over gendered language has erupted: As the first member of the new government, Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) announced that gendering would be officially banned in her ministry (TheColu.mn reported). Around a week ago, a spokesperson for the CDU-led Digital Ministry announced that the entire federal government would drop so-called gendered language (TheColu.mn reported). However, several SPD-led ministries pushed back (TheColu.mn reported).
Proponents of gender-inclusive language argue that it helps avoid gender stereotypes and also makes nonbinary people visible. In recent years, the topic has been elevated by conservatives into a culture war. Last year, Duden chief Kathrin Kunkel-Razum lamented that in Germany’s heated atmosphere there was no longer a factual debate possible about gendering (TheColu.mn reported). Many conservatives oppose gender-inclusive language in principle and point out that Germans managed for centuries without it. (dpa)
