As a conservative, Friedrich Merz, Germany’s new chancellor holds a more traditionalist perspective when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. Here’s a brief history of the comments Merz has made about the LGBTQ+ community in recent years.
According to Pink News, he opposed a marriage equality bill introduced in Germany in 2017, but has since stated that he respects the passing of the law and would not take action to undo it. Additionally, he suggested that some LGBTQ+ people might be better parents than some straight ones during conversations on same-sex adoption, though he has stated he was against the practice in the past.
In 2020, Merz said that homosexuality is okay so long as it “does not affect children,” a comment which he later told news outlets he regretted. However, in attempting to apologize he said “The point I was making about sexual orientation in general, regardless of whether heterosexual or homosexual, is that it is not a topic for public discussion at all. The point was, and I do stick to it, that no matter where it comes from, as soon as children are affected, it is unacceptable.”
Ahead of the election, Merz’s party vowed to overturn the country’s self-determination law which made it easier for people to change their preferred names and gender on official records, which greatly affects trans and gender nonconforming people.
The Guardian reports that in recent years support for the far right has surged in Germany. Just last year, Pride marches throughout the country saw at least 26 attacks by far-right protestors.
