Afd gay vote
🌈 German parties’ visions for gender economic equity: 2025 federal elections
Germany heads to the polls on 23 February, amid an economic recession. Renée Krug, Stefan Wallaschek and Pauline Ahlhaus analyse the parties' main election programmes, and exhibit how, in contrast with left-wing parties, those on the right rarely deal with gendered economic inequalities and LGBTQI rights. With polls indicating a CDU-led government, gender-related issues are at risk of being sidelined — or even reversed
The polarising issue of migration continues to feature heavily in German media. But in the lead-up to the elections, the country's stagnant economy, rising unemployment (despite a unyielding shortage of skilled workers), and questions of social justice, are wielding greater influence on voters' decisions. A powerful focus on economic issues may overshadow gender policy ideas. Some economic reforms, meanwhile, could own unintended consequences for gender equality. So, who do these manifestos address — and which issues do they highlight?
Who do the party manifestos address?
A shut look at the party manifestos reveals sharp differences in how parties handle these target gr
explainer
Flyers and other items are displayed on a table, as people attend the "your voice against the right" activism against the Alternative for Germany (AfD), ahead of the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, in Erfurt, Germany, August 25, 2024. REUTERS/Karina Hessland
What’s the context?
LGBTQ+ activists in Germany fear populist parties could carry out well in votes in three eastern states, threatening progress on rights
- Three eastern German states contain elections in September
- Far-right AfD set to make historic gains in three states
- LGBTQ+ activists say aggression is already on the rise
BERLIN – Activists warn the expected success of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in September elections in three eastern German states could set LGBTQ+ rights at risk across the country.
Polls suggest the AfD could arrive first in the states of Thuringia and Saxony on Sept. 1, and in Brandenburg on Sept. 22, with between 24% and 30% of the vote.
It would be the first second a far-right party has been the largest in a German parliament since World War Two.
Germany's state governments and parliaments have jurisdiction over matters appreciate
German gays back hard-right AfD, poll suggests
The hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is the most popular among German users of gay matchmaking app app Romeo.com, according to the site’s survey.
In the poll conducted from January 24 to February 2, almost 28 per cent of more than 60,000 respondents on the dating app said they would vote for the AfD in the upcoming Bundestag election on February 23.
All German users received an in-app letter with a participation link to the survey on Romeo, one of the world’s largest gay internet dating apps.
Users voted anonymously and were asked only their age and voting intention. Romeo stressed that the method was not suitable for making statistically robust election predictions and that lesbians did not participate.
While the survey was not representative of the gay population as a whole, given the massive number of participants it did seem to signal a high favourability for the hard-right party.
Next to AfD being the most popular party among respondents on the app, the Greens came in second, with 19.9 per cent. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was third at 17.6 per cent.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) scored 12.5
Alice Weidel, first openly same-sex attracted leader of far-right AfD, steals limelight as Germany votes to choose its Chancellor
As voters in Germany go out on Sunday to vote for their new leader in a pivotal election, all eyes will be frozen on the openly gay head of the divisive far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel.
An unusual choice to many to lead AfD’s electoral ambitions, Alice Weidel is the first ever candidate of the anti-immigration party for the post of the Chancellor. She lives with her partner in Switzerland, while being an active member of the German party.
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AfD, which bats against asylum seekers, Islam and multiculturalism, is unlikely to win a government amid other parties not eager to cooperate due to a longstanding policy named firewall. However, the party, led by Weidel, is likely to emerge as the second-largest in the parliament.
Here is what you need to know about Alice Weidel.
A business administration genius
Alice Weidel studied economics and business administration at the University of Bayreuth, graduating as one of the best students of t
Gay in the AfD: 'We're not seeking equality'
"Gays and lesbians are just as important to Germany as any other loving person with a connection to family, home and nation," states the preamble to the guiding principles of the "Alternative Homosexuals."
The team, formerly known as "Homosexuals in the AfD," is a group for same-sex attracted, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) supporters of the populist, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).
But why are people in the LGBT community drawn to the AfD? Particularly when the party directly opposes lgbtq+ marriage, heavily advocates for the "classical family model," and opposes expanding laws to allow same-sex couples to adopt children?
Last year, the party even proposed a new sexual training curriculum that would significantly reduce the amount of information students receive on homosexuality.
For Alexander Tassis, the AfD's stances on teaching certainly aren't wrong, in fact, he also wants to stop what he calls "early sexualization" and "gender madness." He also denies that the party is moving towards the right.
"It's becoming more and more the party that I wanted," Tassis told DW.
'We're not seeking equality'
Tassis, the