The LGBTQ+ umbrella organization LSVD+ issued a negative interim assessment on Wednesday, after the first 100 days since the Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz was elected to the chancellery in the second round. “The first 100 days of the new government under Chancellor Merz have brought a lot of uncertainty to the LGBTQ+ community,” explained LSVD+ national board member Alva Träbert. It is still too early for a comprehensive LGBTQ+ policy balance, but there is “an urgent need for action.”
LSVD+: Parts of the government spreading “far-right narratives”
“With concern we are watching the political discussion around rainbow flags, the participation of Bundestag staff at the Pride events, and ‘gender bans,'” said Träbert. “Here an open culture war is being waged, in which parts of the government pick up and legitimate far-right narratives around an alleged woke-ism.” Träbert hinted that in the debate, the rights of LGBTQ+ people are only tangential; the goal is rather to “distract from real social and political problems.”
Träbert harshly criticized plans to reform the registration system in connection with the Self-Determination Act. Moreover, trans, intersex, and non-binary individuals would be insufficiently considered in the planned reform of the Federal Police Act. The ending of all humanitarian admission programs from Afghanistan also affects LGBTQ+ people “who trusted the statements of the previous government and migrated to Pakistan, where they cannot stay.” A return to Afghanistan would expose them to persecution and death. Germany must keep its word and take in those who are persecuted.
Advocating reforms in the law of parentage and in Article 3
“The list of urgent LGBTQ+ policy tasks is long, and the government will have to prove how seriously it takes them,” Träbert continued. So the law of parentage must also be reformed “to finally reflect the lived reality of rainbow families — for the sake of the children.” Rainbow families had recently reported massive discrimination in a Berlin survey (TheColu.mn reported). In addition, the Equality Clause of the Basic Law must be amended to explicitly protect all LGBTQ+ people. So far, there has been resistance from the Union (TheColu.mn reported). Another important task is to consistently record, prosecute, and publicly condemn the rising nationwide anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes.
Träbert also praised that there remains a LGBTQ+ commissioner in Sophie Koch, a politician from the SPD. “We hope that she, especially in these politically challenging times, can be a strong voice for the community’s needs,” said the LSVD board member.
LSVD+ calls for an “end to political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community”
“We call for an end to political attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and the implementation of these decades-old and, at times, repeatedly court-urged demands,” said Träbert. “The Merz administration must take responsibility for LGBTQ+ people as well!”
The Merz government is under pressure not only on LGBTQ+ rights; the overall population is dissatisfied with the work of the new coalition—polls show far greater discontent than after 100 days under the Scholz government. Debates over the electricity tax, the appointment of the Federal Constitutional Court, and more recently the restriction of arms deliveries to ally Israel have produced negative press. In a Civey poll for “t-online,” 59 percent of respondents said their opinion of Merz had worsened since he took office, even though Merz had not been particularly popular as a chancellor beforehand. According to a Forsa poll released on Tuesday, the Union even trailed the AfD in the Sunday question. (dk)
