Change of Government in Germany – a chance for LGBT+ people?

For several weeks now, Germany has had a new government, led by a new (male) chancellor, Olaf Scholz. A coalition agreement, reached by three different political parties and entitled “Daring to make more progress. Alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability” (link to pdf), contemplates the extension of LGBT+ rights.

It aims to modernise family law, among others by providing the possibility to transfer the so-called “small custody” status for children to up to two further adults, and to legalise so-called “community of responsibility” between two or more adults outside marriage. Future parents should be able to make agreements about custody and maintenance even before conception. Children born into the marriage of two women should have two legal mothers from birth (p. 101). Access to in vitro fertilisation should be available and subsidised for all people, regardless of marital status, gender identity and medical indication (p. 116). LGBT+ families and same-sex marriages performed within the EU should be acknowledged in all EU member states (p. 120).

Furthermore, gender mainstreaming should be completed within the next ten years. Women and queer people in particular should be saved from sexism and violence (p. 114f).

Women’s self-determination should be strengthened by providing free contraceptives and abortion under certain conditions, as well as by abolishing section 219a (under which the advertising for the termination of pregnancy is typified as an offence) of the StGB (Criminal Code). An expert commission should review the abortion law, the legalisation of egg donation and of surrogacy (p. 116).

A national action plan for acceptance and protection of sexual and gender diversity should be developed and implemented: education about LGBT+ at school, offers for elderly LGBT+, promoting diversity management in the professional world (p. 119). Queer refugees should be better protected (p. 120). Violence due to gender and homophobia should be explicitly included into the penal law (p. 119). The ban on homosexual men and trans people donating blood should be lifted (p. 120).

The transsexual law should be replaced by a self-determination law, and gender reassignment surgery should be refunded by health care insurance. Inter children should be better protected from surgical interventions (p. 119f).

On behalf of all LGBT+ people in Germany, we hope our new government will deliver their promises during the four-year legislative term.

This post created by the German team of Birgit and Franziska — vielen Dank, Team!