The German government’s Special Representative on LGBTQ+ Affairs, Sophie Koch, is advocating for enhanced constitutional protection of sexual identity. This call for action comes in response to a recent initiative by the state of Berlin seeking to amend Article 3 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz).
Speaking to the “Rheinische Post” Koch highlighted a significant rise in attacks, hostility and hate speech directed towards LGBTQ+ individuals, emphasizing the urgent need to enshrine their rights within the constitution. She described the current situation as a “historical gap” that requires immediate closure.
Koch’s stated goal is to ensure Article 3 of the Basic Law explicitly protects the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. She intends to engage in cross-party discussions with stakeholders at both the federal and state levels in the coming weeks and months to advance this objective, expressing cautious optimism based on initial signals from within the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The Berlin initiative proposes amending Article 3, specifically adding the phrase “sexual identity” to the first sentence of paragraph 3. This proposal was formally presented to the Federal Council (Bundesrat) on Friday. The move aims to provide a stronger legal foundation for the protection of LGBTQ+ rights within the German legal framework.