Hostile school environment and no government partnership with civil society: -5/10 | There is no evidence of the government providing funding or working in partnership with civil society: 0/10 | The government provides funding and works in partnership with civil society to promote inclusive education for one ground of discrimination: 5/10 | Two grounds: 7.5/10 | Three grounds: 10/10
The government is generally supportive and civil society organisations have continued to receive substantial funding to provide support to LGBTQI youth. Nonetheless, hate crimes against LGBTQI people are a serious issue.
Conversion therapy performed on LGBTQ minors was banned in 2020, but only as long as they are “harmful” for the child’s well-being. This exception clause was harshly criticised by civil society, as well as the fact that young people over 18 are not protected.
In 2023, an anti-gender activist launched a petition to end “the gender language”, against the use of gender-neutral language in schools and on official forms in Hamburg, calling it “coercion”. The CDU distanced itself from the activist after she made anti-LGBTQI statements, but continues to support the petition, along with the far-right AfD. The campaign has appeared in other regions too.
In 2023, Humboldt University allowed trans, inter and non-binary students who have not gone through legal gender recognition or name change yet to use their chosen names on university ID cards, following a class action lawsuit filed in 2022. The HU took this step before the court decision.
In 2023, the far-right AfD in Lower Saxony announced their plans to restrict sex education in schools, allegedly to tackle “child abuse”.
The use of gender-inclusive language in educational settings remains an extremely controversial topic in Germany. While in Berlin there is currently no ban on the use of gender-inclusive language in educational environments, such a ban is expected to be introduced for the 2025-2026 school year. While the details and implications of such a measure are yet to be made public, the ban would mean that school students would no longer be allowed to use gender-inclusive language in schools, including the asterisk or the colon, currently used to make gendered words gender-inclusive in the German language. Currently, seven states in Germany have already issued statements banning the use of gender-inclusive language in educational settings: Bavaria, Saxony, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia and Bremen.
The use of gender-inclusive language in schools is thus a highly contentious topic and has been depicted by right-wing parties in Germany as a breach of the right to free expression. NGOs including QUEERFORMAT have been advocating for the safeguarding of the use of gender-inclusive language in educational environments. Through its advocacy work, QUEERFORMAT has highlighted that inclusive language serves as a tool for educators to represent and support LGBTQI young people and create space for young people who may be questioning their identity. The use of gender-inclusive language is also a way to make schools more open and diverse spaces. Many teachers in Berlin are currently questioning what such a ban in the state of Berlin would imply for educators, including whether it would mean that teachers or school staff would also no longer be able to use gender-inclusive language or could even be punished for doing so. QUEERFORMAT is working to support educators and their right to represent gender diversity, stressing that under Germany’s Basic Law, no one can be discriminated against on the basis of gender.
The provision of gender-neutral bathrooms in schools is also a current point of contention in Germany. In 2024, the Berlin Senate issued new rules stating that all Berlin schools have to provide unisex bathroom options. Implementation of this rule has however remained variable, due to a lack of guidelines for schools on how to put in place this measure, as well as wide disparities in the amount of funding that schools receive and can make available for such projects.
In 2025, Winter Pride marches (CSD) were held in Germany for the first time on February 15th. 10,000 demonstrators across the country attended these marches to show their support for LGBTQI people and their rights in the face of the rise of the far-right movement in Germany. Many CSD demonstrations notably took place in Eastern Germany, which has also been witnessing a rise of the far-right.
As of the date of this report, a number of queer educational initiatives are on the verge of closing their doors in light of an executive decision issued by the current Senator for Education, Youth, and Families in February 2025 stipulating major cuts to existing projects and organisations. These budget cuts significantly impact the work of organisations like QUEERFORMAT, resulting in a noticeable decrease in the number of workshops, consultations, and educational materials for educators. Several organisations have or will be forced to close operations altogether, including:
- i-PÄD Kompetenzstelle intersektionale Pädagogik
- Inter*Trans*Beratung in the Schwulenberatung
- LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
- Queer History Month
- QUEERFORMAT Fachstelle Queere Bildung.
