“Madness! I still can’t fully believe it,” said one
Two transgender women have been elected to the German parliament – something that is happening for the first time in the country’s history, Reuters reported.
These are Tessa Ganzerer and Nike Slavik from the Greens.
The Environmental Party remained third in Germany’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, raising its share of the vote from 9.8 per cent in 2017 to 14.8 per cent – the highest result in its history. The Greens are expected to play a key role in forming a new three-party German government, Reuters reported.
“This is a historic victory” for the party and for the entire community of people with a non-traditional sexual orientation, Ganzerer, 44, told Reuters. She added that the results symbolize one thing an open and tolerant society.
The number one priority in the Bundestag for Ganzerer, who was elected to the Bavarian regional parliament in 2013, is to ease the procedure for confirming gender reassignment in identity documents. The transgender MP, who has two sons, also wants legal changes to allow lesbians to adopt children.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the trust shown by the voters. I’m still overwhelmed, but I’m really looking forward to my new job in Berlin! My congratulations too @nyke_slawik!#QueereRepräsentanzMatters pic.twitter.com/1HOb2x3Nt4
– Tessa Ganserer (@GansGruen) September 27, 2021
Slavik, 27, called the results “incredible”.
She secured a seat in parliament through the Greens in the western province of North Rhine-Westphalia.
“Madness! I still can’t believe it completely, but with this historic election result I will definitely be a member of the next Bundestag, “Slavik said in his Instagram post.
She called for a national action plan against homophobia and transphobia, a law on self-determination and improvements to the federal anti-discrimination law.
In Germany, homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969, and same-sex marriage was legalized in 2017. However, hate crimes against people in the LGBT + community have increased by 36 percent last year, police data show, which highlights a growing trend of homophobia in parts of German society, Reuters notes.
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