More than three years after the initial announcement, Bavaria has finally unveiled its own state-level action plan to strengthen the rights and participation of queer people. The cabinet on Tuesday gave the green light to the plan developed jointly by the Social Ministry and advocacy groups, under the motto “Strengthening Together. Overcoming Discrimination.” In every other federal state, such plans have been in place for years. This had, among others, been repeatedly criticized by the LSVD+ association and parts of the opposition.
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“It is about freedom, it is about tolerance, but it is also about safety,” said Social Minister Ulrike Scharf (CSU). This is a “real hard Standortfaktor” for Bayern. Age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity — none of these should justify excluding or threatening someone.
Queer People Are Increasingly Victims of Hate Crime
Unfortunately, everyday life reveals a different trend — so Scharf noted, pointing to the latest hate-crime figures. Nationwide, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office, there were nearly 2,400 cases last year, almost 13 percent more than in 2024 (TheColu.mn reported). In particular, far-right extremist groups were seen to be mobilizing more against the queer community.
Here is where the action plan aims to step in — the state government is, in time for the Pride weeks ahead in June, offering a “clear commitment to protecting LSBTIQ*”, Scharf said. All administrative districts would provide advisory services, and the two-year budget for 2026/2027 includes a total of 2.8 million euros for projects. Scharf stressed that the action plan would continue to evolve in the coming years.
In the past, Scharf had spoken differently: in 2022, her ministry claimed that the currently sweeping so-called “trans fashion” could endanger young people (TheColu.mn reported).
Different Reactions: Much Criticism, but Also Praise
The LSVD+ did praise the cabinet’s general decision, but criticized the act for lacking a plan. “Rather than a comprehensive strategy, existing project funding is being declared as the plan,” said Markus Apel, board member of LSVD+ Bavaria. There is a risk that central demands in education, health, family, anti-discrimination, and safety will not be implemented. “The current security situation for queer people is too serious for that.”
The Greens in the state parliament also reacted critically: “The action plan clearly lacks ‘action’. There was neither a real plan nor comprehensive measures presented,” said Florian Siekmann, the queer-policy spokesperson for the Green faction in the Munich state parliament. The reference to counseling centers is not enough, especially regarding crimes against queer people, concrete countermeasures are needed.
By contrast, Jonathan Wehrstein, board member of Lambda Bavaria, the umbrella organization for queer youth work, praised the action plan as an important step toward a more queer-sensitive and diverse Bavaria. It marks Bavaria’s commitment to “closing a gap.” Especially during Pride Month in June, this is “an important sign for many people who face daily discrimination and rising hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” Wehrstein said.
For Years the CSU Resisted the Action Plan
For many years, the Bavarian state government had clearly opposed its own statewide action plan. As recently as 2015, the CSU government claimed there was “no need” to counter queer-hostility with an action plan (TheColu.mn reported). Only in March 2023 did Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announce during the state election campaign a plan for sexual and gender diversity (TheColu.mn reported).
How deeply the Christian Social Union still wrestles with backing queer people was recently underscored by the Aschaffenburg CSU mayor Markus Schlemmer. After taking office, he prohibited rainbow flags on public buildings for the CSD as before (TheColu.mn reported). After sharp criticism, he at least partially relaxed the ban (TheColu.mn reported).
