On October 8, the CDU under Prime Minister Boris Rhein was elected as the strongest force in the Hessian state parliament. With the coalition partner SPD, they have agreed, among other things, to refrain from using special characters for gendering in state and public-law institutions in the future – for the sake of simplicity, beauty, and tradition of the German language.
It was planned to “orientate based on the advice of the German language” during the negotiations. However, not all female Social Democrats nationwide agree with this step, as reported by “Spiegel”. Among the female members of the SPD in Baden-Württemberg, criticism of the planned measure is growing.
Brigitte Schmid-Hagenmeyer, chairwoman of the Association of Social Democratic Women in Baden-Württemberg, says that they will not tolerate this planned attempt to “discredit legitimate feminist demands”. The “anti-feminist provision for gendering” must be “removed” from the Hessian coalition agreement immediately.
Hagenmeyer: “This is prohibition policies from the right!”
“This is prohibition policies from the right!”, Hagenmeyer tells “Spiegel”. “Exactly what the left is always accused of.”
She is not surprised that the anti-feminists resorted once again to nothing but “anti-gender rhetoric”. This is “a popular tactic” in these circles.
In today’s times, it is the task of language to “reflect different realities”, stated a press release from the SPD politicians in Baden-Württemberg. Because women are “not automatically included”.
Arguing about gendering in coalition negotiations shows misplaced priorities
The assertion that the country has other problems than gender-appropriate language runs completely false, as the statement further states. This fixation on a fringe issue shows that the people discussing this matter do not understand which problems are really important in this country.
Therefore, the party colleagues in Hesse should immediately work to “remove the anti-feminist provision for gendering from the coalition agreement”.
