Social Minister Aminata Touré (Greens) unveiled the revised state action plan for accepting sexual diversity and gender identities in Schleswig-Holstein on Thursday in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament. The plan contains 40 concrete measures aimed at reducing discrimination, enabling participation, and ensuring safety and visibility for queer people.
“This state government, my ministry, and I as minister are firmly convinced: protecting, making visible, and standing up for the queer community must never stop! Because the question of human rights—and that is what protecting queer life is about—is non-negotiable,” Touré said. “The horrific Islamist attack on the CSD in Berlin has dramatically exposed the hate directed at queer people. Half-hearted promises are not enough; we need concrete political action. With this action plan and our measures, we assure the queer community that they can count on our support.”
With the plan “Real Diversity 2.0,” the state government is for the first time providing a comprehensive overview of both existing and new state measures—the first plan was adopted in 2014. New items include measures to raise awareness and provide training for teachers. In 2026, the state will establish a coordination office for LGBTQ+ at the Center for Prevention and will provide a comprehensive package of training and materials. Training opportunities for staff of the top state authorities and the state police are also set to be expanded. Additionally, queer-phobia could in the future be listed separately as a ground for online advertisements, according to a government press release.
Other ongoing measures—including the Real Diversity Office at HAKI e.V., the SCHLAU SH educational project, the NaSowas counseling center, and the Central Contact Point for LGBTQ+ at the state police—will be continued and regularly updated. “We know that political backing also requires resources and money,” the minister said. “That is why last year we increased funding for HAKI e.V. by €20,000 to €244,000 in institutional funding. We also need—even though it is unfortunate—financial resources to protect queer institutions. This year, together with the Interior Ministry, we are providing €60,000.”
Real Diversity Office: “A Step in the Right Direction”
The new action plan was developed in collaboration with representatives of the queer community in two exchange events and is to be evaluated five years after its publication. The plan was approved by the cabinet on Monday and, by Thursday’s parliamentary debate, had not yet been made available to lawmakers.
The Real Diversity Office, run by HAKI e.V., expressed optimism in light of the plans, even though there was “room for improvement.” “First, they praised the government’s and all factions’ reaffirmation to stand alongside queer people. ‘We can build on the good cooperation between the state and the Real Diversity Round Table,’ emphasized Daniel Lembke-Peters of the statewide network office.
The office commended the consolidated focus on existing measures and the various funding streams that are “still essential for the community and its civil-society engagement.” “The action plan also takes into account intersectional perspectives, for example protective concepts for queer refugees. Also important for the queer community is the commitment to funding that makes CSD events and the training of volunteers possible.” The six new measures with a focus on the state administration are considered sensible.
Three Additional Demands
From the perspective of the office, the plan should name concrete needs and binding steps in three areas. A “reliable full-time advisory infrastructure for LGBTQ people” is needed: there remains a significant gap in the state’s provision of full-time psychosocial and professional counseling for queer people. In particular for adults aged 27 and older, there is no nationwide full-time counseling network despite demand, which cannot be reliably addressed by volunteer structures alone.
In addition, the office calls for “consistent protection against queer-hostility and hate crime,” requiring effective and easily accessible structures for those affected. The office proposes, among other steps, the creation of a statewide monitoring, information, and reporting office for anti-LGBTQ+ incidents and experiences of violence. As a third point, it calls for needs-based counseling for queer refugees and migrants, taking into account both migration-specific and queer life situations. A corresponding counseling structure has not yet been adequately reflected in the state action plan.
