Die Initiative „Lasst Frauen Sprechen!“ hat bei der UN eine offizielle Beschwerde eingereicht zur Situation der Frauen- und Menschenrechte in Deutschland.
Diese Überprüfung der Menschenrechtssituation in einzelnen Mitgliedsstaaten der UN findet alle 4 Jahre statt. Im letzten Zyklus hatten Transaktivisten in vielen Nationen Genderidentitäts-Gesetze und Regelungen eingefordert und sind darin gehört worden. Es ist daher wichtig, dass Frauen und Frauenrechtlerinnen verstärkt die UN über die Untergrabung von Frauenrechten informieren – selbst wenn die UN Frauenrechtsgruppierungen wie die WDI teils aktiv ausschließt.
Wir haben nicht nur über die Gefährdung durch Genderidentitätsgesetze informiert, sondern beispielsweise auch über die verheerende Situation der Frauen in der Prostitution oder von Müttern und Kindern vor Familiengerichten. Viele weitere Aspekte könnten noch ergänzt werden, bspw. der dramatische Rückgang einer angemessenen Geburtshilfe. Ein weiterer Aspekt ist die konkrete Gefährdung des Frauensports durch Verbände, die die Aufnahme von Männern in Frauensportmannschaften erlauben.
Das bedeutet: Wir konnten tatsächlich nur Teilaspekte beleuchten, da die UN für diese Stellungnahmen nur eine begrenzte Wortmenge erlaubt.
Wir stellen die Stellungnahme hier im englischen Original ein. Neben unserer Einreichung haben auch LAZ Reloaded, die Frauen Aktion München, die LGB Alliance Deutschland und die Gesellschaft für Geschlechtergerechtigkeit Stellungnahmen eingereicht.
Stakeholder submission Universal Periodic Review Germany
The initiative „Lasst Frauen Sprechen!“ is a feminist grassroots group that has set itself the task of representing the sex-based rights of girls, women, lesbians, mothers and their children. Unfortunately, this task is hardly taken on by the large and publicly funded women’s rights organizations. Instead, we observe that organizations such as the Women’s Lawyers‘ Association or the Women’s Council support anti-women legislative projects of the federal government[1].
We pursue the goal of bringing women’s voices to the streets, informing the public and defending women’s sex-based rights, including through statements to politicians, the media, the EU and the UN.
For some time now, we have been increasingly exposed to misogyny in social media and in public as committed feminists who stand up for sex-based rights. We are experiencing an increase in verbal and physical assaults on feminist committed women, mothers and lesbians. As a result, women have to take great risks when they become politically active. Particularly over the course of the last year, we have seen a significant increase in misogyny and anti-feminist developments.
Some examples:
- Women and feminists are insulted and dehumanized as TERFs, TURDs and vermin
- Women and feminists are denigrated as right-wing extremists or even fascists and are thus built up to an enemy image
- Women and feminists are prevented from political participation by blocking politicians, ignoring our letters and statements, or being excluded from political bodies such as the working groups of the “Queer Living” Action Plan.
- Women and feminists face a drastic increase in insults, threats, violent fantasies, and calls for violence, up to and including the development of a first-person shooter that can be used to shoot „TERFs“ – i.e. women
- Feminist lesbians are insulted, excluded, and physically assaulted at Dyke Marches.
- Misinformation about feminists‘ political goals and misogyny is spread by leaders, journalists, and media outlets on social media and in TV and print.
- Women and feminists are at risk of being criminalized in their democratic and political actions by reporting offices.
We observe with concern that violent rhetoric and misogyny are often related to queer political demands and are tolerated or actively used by queer activists or organizations. The international and national promotion of gender identity ideology and queer politics by large foundations like the Arcus Foundation and in Germany by „Demokratie leben“ or the action plan „Queer Leben“ lead to the fact that the interests of women can no longer be addressed.
Last year, we wrote to the UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem[2] and described the bad situation of women’s rights in Germany. We repeat and supplement this summary of concrete evidence here.
1. Planned self-determination law („Selbstbestimmungsgesetz“)
Alsalem’s statement on the proposed SelfID legislation in Scotland[3] was a great relief to all feminists worldwide who have been fighting against gender identity laws for years. In her extensive letter, she went into great detail about the consequences of this legislation for women. This legislation in a very similar form is also announced for this year in Germany.
In Germany, plans include[4]:
- that minors from the age of 14 are allowed to determine the entry of their (legal) sex,
- that men may declare themselves to be women without an expert opinion and may change the entry of their (legal) sex once a year,
- that a ban on disclosure protects self-declared “gender identity” and makes it a punishable offense to address a person by his or her actual sex or original name.
2. Action plan “Queer Leben” (“Queer Living”)
In November 2022 the German federal cabinet presented a comprehensive action plan “Queer Living”, which is to serve as a roadmap for the coming years[5]. For this action plan, the “queer representative” of the federal government, Sven Lehmann, has a sum of 70 million euros at his disposal[6]. Here, not only the German version of a self ID legislation is announced, but also an amendment to the German constitution (addition of a prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of an undefined “sexual identity” to paragraph 3 on equal treatment) and stricter legislation against “hate crime” (“queer hostility”). Since this action plan is not based on sex but on self-declared “gender identity”, we fear far-reaching consequences for women’s rights, maternal rights and child protection. We have summarized them in a statement[7].
We applied to participate in the action plan alongside several other initiatives and were rejected. We suspect that the federal government only allows initiatives that conform to the government. Lesbians in particular are not adequately represented, as the action plan is based on gender identity, not sex.[8] [9]
3. Legalization of surrogacy and egg donation
Within the framework of a commission on reproductive self-determination[10], the German government plans to legalize surrogacy and egg donation in Germany. Already now, childbearing fairs take place regularly in Germany, where foreign companies advertise to buy children[11] [12]. Surrogacy and egg donation are serious human rights violations[13] [14].
4. Legal sex purchase / prostitution in Germany
Prostitution has been legalized in Germany for over 20 years. Germany is thus the brothel of Europe, the center of human trafficking and the destination of sex tourists from all over the world. The situation of women in prostitution is shocking. Girls and young women are led into prostitution via “loverboys” and the online platform OnlyFans. The legal purchase of sex has normalized an image of women as commodities for sale in our society. This is evidenced by Melissa Farley’s recent study on men’s prostitution behaviour in Germany[15].
5. Insufficient fight against violence against women and femicide
Germany ratified the Istanbul Convention on Violence against Women relatively late (2018). However, the full implementation has been delayed by the German government for almost 5 years, now. Conceded funds have been spread over the years in such a way that only 5 million euros per year have been made available for this purpose. According to expert Dr. Kristina Wolff (Femicide Observation Center), funding ran out at the end of 2022. The Istanbul Convention is not even mentioned in the federal budget. Instead, the planned SelfID law stipulates that men (“transwomen”) should also have access to women’s shelters. The responsibility of deciding which men will be granted access is shifted to the already overburdened women’s shelter staff. The women’s shelters are permanently overburdened and suffer from very poor funding. At the same time, violence against women and the rate of femicides have been on the rise for years. The Femicide Observation Center has counted at least 190 murdered women for 2022[16].
6. Institutional violence against mothers and children
Germany has a very active fathers’ rights movement that influences politics, jurisprudence and the media. The situation of mothers and children who want to free themselves from abusive and violent relationships is devastating. Also playing a role here is the fact that many courts and offices are not even aware of the Istanbul Convention, let alone have implemented it. Fathers can torment mothers and children for many years after separation with the help of institutional and financial violence (see the results of the “Hammer study”[17]). Maternal[18] and child poverty[19] is comparatively high in Germany. So is the pay[20] and care[21] gap between women and men.
7. Pedocriminality
In Germany, feminists have been fighting pedocriminality since the 1960s and 1970s[22]. In recent years, rings of pedo-criminal offenders with international connections have been uncovered in Lügde, Münster and Bergisch-Gladbach[23]. A very high number of unreported cases can be assumed. In the context of queer politics, old acquaintances from the German pedo-criminal scene are once again able to make themselves heard politically and sit in influential positions[24]. The red carpet will be rolled out for these men with an amendment to the German constitution, paragraph 3, as they can declare pedophilia to be a protected “sexual identity”. This was already attempted in 2010[25].
8. Financial support for invasive gender medicine
Germany plays a leading role in Europe concerning “gender reassignment surgery and treatment”. It is a market with growth rates of 25%[26]. Therefore, there is a well-founded interest on the part of the pharmaceutical industry and plastic surgery providers to push for a “self ID legislation”. Invasive procedures were already performed on minors under 16 years of age in 2012[27]. Doctors observed in recent years a rapid increase of minors with a claimed gender dysphoria[28]. Therefore, even the Ethics Council in Germany deliberated on this, but neglected to further evaluate[29]. In Germany, gender physicians who perform experimental treatments of minors[30], such as Prof. Dr. Anette Richter-Unruh, receive an endowed professorship from pharmaceutical companies such as Ferring[31].
9. Public funding of gender identity ideology
The trans lobby associations in Germany are excellently funded and well networked in the media, industry and politics. They conduct trainings of media, educational institutions, police etc. all over Germany. In total, they receive almost 3 million euros per year from public funding[32]. Translobby organizations like the dgti train trans counselors in just 10 days who, among other things, advise families on such a momentous decision as child transition[33]. They go – without sufficient expertise – to schools. Peer to peer trans counseling centers employ lay people without medical, educational or therapeutic qualifications[34].
10. Indoctrination of gender identity ideology in German daycare centers and schools
The action plan “Queer Leben” envisages, among other things, increased teaching of gender identity ideology in daycare centers and schools. This non-science-based indoctrination is already taking place in German schools. For example, the Procter & Gamble brand „always“ or the Unilever brand „Dove“ provide material for sex education on the platform lehrer-online.de. Here it is explained, among other things, that children are born in the wrong body or that men can be lesbians. In North Rhine-Westphalia, “FUMA” – the “Fachstelle Gender & Diversität NRW” – has been in place for some time. For example, it explains how educators should accompany “trans children” in “coming out”. It is to be feared that measures are initiated here like in the USA, where children undertake a so-called social transition in school via indoctrination of the schools, which they conceal from the parents. This “social transition” has been shown to pave the way for drug and surgical treatments to affirm the fiction of a gender change[35] [36].
In Berlin, 2 LGBTQ Kitas will open in the spring of 2023. The Kitas teach gender identity ideology to young children and hire predominantly „queer“ educators[37]. In the board of the Gay Counseling Berlin, which opens these Kitas, sat until recently Rüdiger Lautmann, who already trivialized pedophilia in the 70s and 80s[38].
11. Men in women’s prisons and shelters
German women’s prisons are already transferring men to women’s prison, including in Berlin and Hamburg[39] [40]. As UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice J. Edwards wrote on Twitter back in January, women in women’s prison have a right to be protected from violent sex offenders – no matter how they identify themselves[41]. With SelfID, human rights of women in prison are being violated[42]. Figures from the latest UK referendum show that delinquent men are more likely than average to be sex offenders if they declare a gender identity of “woman”[43]. Women’s shelters in Germany are already forced to accept men. It is the responsibility of the women’s shelter staff to assess the potential danger posed by a man. Men who are rejected protest against this, e.g. a man who identifies as a “Trans-Muslima”[44]. Women and children traumatized by men’s violence are thus expected to share the already few women’s shelter places with men.
12. Men take over quota positions from women
In Germany, men take over quota positions for women in business and politics. A well-known example is Marcus „Tessa“ Ganserer, who got into the Bundestag via a women’s list position in the „Die Grünen“ party, thus taking a seat away from a woman. Ganserer anticipated Self-ID and declared himself a woman. He has not made a change of personal status according to the TSG[45].
13. Attacks on Lesbians
Under massive pressure from trans rights activists, the Lesbian Spring Meeting 2021 has had a large portion of its public funding withdrawn. This means that an event that has existed since the 70s is on the brink of extinction[46]. Spaces and events by and for lesbians have all but ceased to take place and are vilified as transphobic. In 2022, at several Dyke Marches, lesbians were verbally and physically attacked for invoking their gender-based rights[47] [48]. At several CSDs, misogynistic banners were displayed, including in Dresden with “TERFs can suck my huge trans dick”[49] [50] [51].
14. Public toilets for women are abolished
The Association of German Engineers, together with the translobby association dgti, has developed a new guideline for toilets in public spaces that provides for unisex toilets. It is known from the UK that unisex toilets and changing rooms pose a danger to females. Although the VDI states that the women’s toilet would not be abolished and that it would be at the discretion of the building owners which toilets are built, we assume that building owners will prefer unisex toilets for reasons of cost and space savings as well as a claimed modernity[52].
15. Legal prosecution of feminists and registration offices for „anti-feminism“
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation has set up an „Anti-Feminism“ reporting office[53]. „Anti-feminist“ incidents can be reported in a low-threshold manner. However, the Foundation represents a misogynistic definition of feminism. It believes that protests against gender identity ideology, legal sex purchase or massively invasive gender medicine measures are anti-feminist. Thus, radical feminist demonstrations should be able to be reported as an „anti-feminist“ incident[54]. Some federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia or Baden-Württemberg have also set up reporting offices. We fear that feminists will be criminalized. We observe that feminists are increasingly being reported to the police or warned by lawyers. With the introduction of the self-determination law and the planned hate speech laws we fear a development like in Scotland, UK, Norway or Brazil[55]. In these countries, women have to explain themselves to the police or the courts because they call men men.
16. Holocaust Relativization and Instrumentalization of Nazi Crimes for Queer Political Goals
This year’s Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Nazi Crimes was instrumentalized in Germany for queer political goals[56]. Thus, on the occasion of this day, the anti-discrimination commissioner Ferda Ataman demanded that sexual identity be included in paragraph 3 of the constitution. Several lawyers and feminists had already pointed out that this not only protects homosexuals, but also sexually deviant behavior by men and pederasts. The commemorative hour in the Bundestag also put identity-political demands in the foreground. With the claim that there were queer victims of Nazi crimes, history was clittered. The victims were far predominantly homosexual men.
A court ruling on the lawsuit between the translobby association dgti and Marie-Luise Vollbrecht, a PhD student in biology, found that trans activists used Nazi crimes for their political goals and misinterpreted them in their favor. However, the court allowed transactivists to use this narrative because it was such a small group.
17. Women hatred in media and politics
As indicated above, we are witnessing an almost unchecked spread of misogyny in the media. Fact-check reports by major news channels spread misinformation about the motivations and connections of feminists. Repeatedly, we are politically placed in the right-wing corner[57].
In summer 2022, several scientists had criticized public broadcasting for false reporting[58] and published a dossier[59]. Among this group was Marie-Luise Vollbrecht, a doctoral student in biology. She wanted to give a lecture on the binary of sex in humans at Humboldt University in August. After protests by trans rights activists, the lecture was cancelled. Since then, Ms. Vollbrecht has experienced a large-scale smear and defamation campaign.
She was – like other feminists – denigrated as „TURD“ by Jan Böhmermann in the program ZDF Magazin Royale[60]. The program Kontraste also portrayed feminists as transphobic and responsible for „queerphobic“ acts of violence. Complaints against both broadcasts ran before the German Television Council[61] [62], but were rejected. Both programs have now even received a Grimme Award for the high quality of their research, although in both it was proven that a large part of the sources were provided by trans activists and were not based on facts[63].
German politicians use these public broadcasting contributions to validate their position and publicly insult women as TERFs, use dehumanizing language, and block women[64] [65]. Women are denied political and public participation.
We urge the UN to work to improve the rights of girls, women, lesbians and mothers in Germany and to ensure the sex-based rights and protections assured by CEDAW.
Initiative “Lasst Frauen Sprechen!” / “Let women speak!”
[1] https://geschlecht-zaehlt.de/frauen-gegen-frauen-statt-frauen-helfen-frauen/
[2] https://lasst-frauen-sprechen.de/brief-an-un-sonderberichterstatterin-reem-alsalem-zum-deutschen-selbstbestimmungsgesetz/
[3] https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27681
[4] https://geschlecht-zaehlt.de/
[5] https://www.bmfsfj.de/resource/blob/205126/857cb513dde6ed0dca6759ab1283f95b/aktionsplan-queer-leben-data.pdf
[6] https://www.rnd.de/politik/neuer-queerbeauftragter-wie-sven-lehmann-diskriminierung-den-kampf-ansagen-will-6NKZWKPNMRHENJD35L4QMS7YKE.htm
[7] https://lasst-frauen-sprechen.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/lfs-statement-engl-291122.pdf
[8] https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus244070171/Sven-Lehmann-Der-umstrittene-Aktionsplan-des-Queer-Beauftragten.html
[9] https://lasst-frauen-sprechen.de/aktionsplan-queer-leben-beteiligung-nicht-fuer-feministinnen/
[10] https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/konstituierung-kommission-reproduktive-selbstbestimmung.html
[11] https://ronaduwe.substack.com/p/keine-werbung-fur-kinder-und-menschenhandel
[12] https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/448079.ware-mensch-babykauf-leichtgemacht.html
[13] https://www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2022/2/8/why-surrogacy-should-be-banned
[14] https://www.migrantwomennetwork.org/2022/10/21/migrant-women-and-reproductive-exploitation-in-the-surrogacy-industry-joint-investigation-by-enomw-and-icasm/
[15] http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/pdf/Prostitutionin9Countries.pdf
[17] https://jimdo-storage.global.ssl.fastly.net/file/fb951676-6b48-4669–92e4-b8cb17086337/Fact%20Sheet%20Family%20Law%20in%20Germany.pdf
[18] https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/de/themen/aktuelle-meldungen/2021/juli/armutsrisiko-von-alleinerziehenden-verharrt-auf-hohem-niveau
[19] https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/fileadmin/files/BSt/Publikationen/GrauePublikationen/291_2020_BST_Facsheet_Kinderarmut_SGB-II_Daten__ID967.pdf
[20] https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2022/03/PD22_088_621.html
[21] https://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/themen/gleichstellung/gender-care-gap/indikator-fuer-die-gleichstellung/gender-care-gap-ein-indikator-fuer-die-gleichstellung-137294
[22] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-allowed-pedophiles-to-foster-children/a‑53839291
[23] https://www.thelocal.de/20220112/germany-identifies-439-suspects-in-paedophile-probe
[24] https://reduxx.info/pedophile-sympathizer-overseeing-new-lgbt-daycare-project-in-berlin
[25] https://blogs.feministwiki.org/feuerstein/sexuelle-identitat
[26] https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/sex-reassignment-surgery-market
[27] https://www.kindergynaekologie.de/fachwissen/korasion/2012/transsexualitaet-im-kindes-und-jugendalter/
[28] https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/228699/Transition-bei-Genderdysphorie-Wenn-die-Pubertas-gestoppt-wird
[29] https://www.ethikrat.org/mitteilungen/mitteilungen/2020/deutscher-ethikrat-veroeffentlicht-ad-hoc-empfehlung-zu-trans-identitaet-bei-kindern-und-jugendlichen/
[30] https://youtu.be/FKfwvkcq1yQ
[31] https://www.klinikum-bochum.de/fachbereiche/kinder-und-jugendmedizin/kinderendokrinologieunddiabetologie.html
[32] https://www.lobbyregister.bundestag.de/suche?q=transgender
[33] https://dgti.org/2021/12/17/fortbildung-transberatung/
[34] https://transgender.watch/blog/tuuli-reiss-transkindberatung/
[35] https://ronaduwe.substack.com/p/amerikanischer-grokonzern-indoktriniert
[36] https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus242776621/Schulunterricht-Zwei-Geschlechter-oder-Spektrum-Was-ein-Blick-in-Biologie-Buecher-zeigt.html
[37] https://reduxx.info/pedophile-sympathizer-overseeing-new-lgbt-daycare-project-in-berlin/
[38] https://www.schwulissimo.de/neuigkeiten/schwul-lesbische-kitas-berlin-berliner-regenbogen-kitas-kritik
[39] https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/drei-transgeschlechtliche-personen-von-manner-ins-frauengefangnis-verlegt-8604604.html
[40] https://www.hamburg.de/pressearchiv-fhh/16431024/2022–08-23-bjv-geschlechtervielfalt-in-justizvollzugsanstalten-wird-staerker-beruecksichtigt/
[41] https://twitter.com/DrAliceJEdwards/status/1619579182245347330?lang=de
[42] Rule 11, https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N15/443/41/PDF/N1544341.pdf?OpenElement
[43] https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/what-did-we-learn-from-the-census/
[44] https://reduxx.info/trans-muslima-profiled-in-german-news-after-accusing-domestic-violence-shelter-of-transphobia/
[45] https://www.emma.de/artikel/markus-ganserer-die-quotenfrau-339185
[46] https://4w.pub/lesbian-spring-fest/
[47] https://reduxx.info/lesbians-assaulted-by-trans-activists-at-dyke-march-in-cologne/
[48] https://therealdykemarch.substack.com/p/en-lesbian-uprising-our-statement
[49] https://www.emma.de/artikel/wie-sexistisch-ist-transaktivismus-339655
[50] https://www.schwulissimo.de/neuigkeiten/frauenfeindlichkeit-beim-csd-stuttgart-aktion-der-queeren-linken-gruppe-der-kritik
[51] https://reduxx.info/three-females-attacked-one-killed-by-man-at-german-pride-parade-activists-blame-terfs/
[52] https://geschlecht-zaehlt.de/gibt-es-bald-keine-frauentoiletten-mehr/
[53] https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/projekte/meldestelle-antifeminismus/
[54] https://diepodcastin.de/2023/02/04/diepodcastin-uber-feminismus-isabel-rohner-regula-staempfli-zu-hedwig-dohm-herford-die-absetzung-einer-demokratiefeindin-misogyne-meldestelle-fur-antifeminismus-the-best-feature-wdr-mit-hedwi/
[55] https://www.feministcurrent.com/2022/07/22/christina-ellingsen-is-facing-prison-time-for-saying-that-men-cant-be-women/
[56] https://ronaduwe.substack.com/p/2712023-holocaust-gedenktag-in-deutschland
[57] https://www.tagesschau.de/faktenfinder/transfeindlichkeit-101.html
[58] https://www.evaengelken.de/aufruf-schluss-mit-der-falschberichterstattung-des-oeffentlich-rechtlichen-rundfunks/
[59] https://www.welt.de/debatte/kommentare/plus239113451/Oeffentlich-rechtlicher-Rundfunk-Wie-ARD-und-ZDF-unsere-Kinder-indoktrinieren.html
[60] https://www.emma.de/artikel/boehmermann-diffamation-statt-information-339945
[61] https://www.cicero.de/transsexualitat-ard-zdf-rbb-engelken
[62] https://www.evaengelken.de/das-soll-journalismus-sein-rbb-dokumentation-der-programmbeschwerde-gegen-rbb-und-ard-kontraste/
[63] https://www.cicero.de/kultur/trans-kulturkampf-von-ard-und-zdf-zwei-grimme-preise-fur-frauenverachtung
[64] https://ronaduwe.substack.com/p/halt-die-fresse-frau
[65] https://www.evaengelken.de/transaktivsten-beschaedigen-dinge-und-drohen-frauen/
Bild von Gerd Altmann auf Pixabay
