Erik Jödicke, a member of the executive board of the Lesben- und Schwulenverbands (LSVD), has sharply criticized the appointment of designee Katherina Reiche as the economy minister.
According to Jödicke, speaking to BuzzFeed News Germany from Ippen-Media, the LSVD, as the largest LGBTIQ* association in Germany, views Reiche’s appointment with great skepticism. He claims that her previous statements on same-sex marriage and queer realities are “exclusionary, backward-looking and not acceptable to us.”
Reiche, for example, had expressed in 2019 that the future lies “in the hands of families, not in same-sex relationships.” Jödicke argues that such words consciously put queer individuals on the social margins and undermine the reality of rainbow families. He adds, “We expect Frau Reiche to clearly and publicly distance herself from such statements. As a minister, she is responsible for actively regaining the trust lost within the queer community.”
Jödicke believes that Reiche’s appointment and those of other cabinet members exemplify a queer-politically unambitious approach. Many of the appointed ministers have not publicly expressed themselves on queer issues, or have even positioned themselves negatively. He fears that the appointment of Karin Prien, Mareike Wulf and Michael Brand could endanger the queer-political progress of the past years. Dorothee Bär, the designated research minister, has also referred to LGBTIQ issues as “particular interests of queer peripheries.”
Jödicke concludes by stating that the LSVD expects clear and credible statements from the new federal government that LGBTIQ individuals in Germany can continue to expect protection, visibility and targeted political support. Neither Katherina Reiche nor the CDU had responded to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News Germany.