After the court’s gender‑ruling involving a staff member of the Federal Agency for Maritime Affairs and Hydrography (BSH), the federal government defended the use of so‑called “gender‑appropriate language”. Deputy spokesperson Steffen Meyer told the dts news agency that the use of such language in official communication is “self‑evident” and has been part of governmental practice long before the current legislative period. He distinguished this from the so‑called “gender‑language” employing asterisks or colons. Whereas the government prefers double‑mentioning, for example “Kolleginnen und Kollegen” (female and male colleagues), special characters are not used within individual words in the official language of the Chancellery and most ministries, in line with recommendations from the German Orthography Council.
The Federal Transport Ministry said that the dismissal at the BSH “was not about gendering”. It also declined to comment on the labour‑court proceedings that are underway. In the specific case, the BSH’s radiation‑protection officer was fired after she refused to use consistent gender‑appropriate language in an official radiological‑protection instruction. Instead of employing gender‑neutral phrasing or naming both genders, she reportedly used the masculine generic “Strahlenschutzbeauftragte” when referring to herself. The agency warned her twice and then issued a summary dismissal.
The Regional Labour Court ultimately ruled that the dismissal was invalid. The court noted that the denial of gender‑appropriate language was not a matter within the employee’s responsibilities. It affirmed that such service instructions are lawful and must be followed, but a directive to change gendered language in an individual’s role is not enforceable.