A new study by Germany's Anti-Discrimination Agency has shown that a majority of responders support marriage equality. But the study also shows that prejudices remain. Researchers warn the prejudice does run deep and recommend against incitement by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Just last September we posted Will Germany Advance Gay Rights Any Time Soon? What About Marriage Equality? The outlook was not very positive since it felt that the leaders of Germany did not desire to approach the marriage equality topic.
Across Western Europe, marriage equality is fast becoming the norm: From Scandinavia through the Netherlands and Denmark; even the Catholic countries of Ireland, France and Spain. But there’s one glaring exception: Germany. It stands out not only because it is the largest country in Western Europe, but also because on many measures, it is among the most progressive.
Germany’s outlier status (it allows “registered partnerships,” but not full marriage) is even more curious because much of the country is in favor. But not its leadership: Chancellor Angela Merkel and her party, the Christian Democratic Union, have stood athwart the Continent wide movement and yelled no.
Part of the reason is personal: Ms. Merkel, the daughter of a Protestant pastor, grew up in the former East Germany, where Communism and traditional social mores reinforced the power of the state, and she admits to being extremely conservative on this issue. She has budged on gay rights issues only when forced to do so by the Constitutional Court. – nytimes.com
The new study placed numbers on the public's approval with a massive 83% in favor of marriage equality and almost as many stating that adoption rights should be had by LGBT individuals (click images for a larger view).
Where the data turned south was to do with the questions about if an LGBT person was at your work or in your home as a family member. What I've called NIMBY before, Not In My Back Yard, seems to be the Germanic belief about homosexuals. They're fine elsewhere but in my workplace or my home, that would be a no.
And of course, there is the intelligence factor. Is that the wrong way to say it?
The younger and more educated, the less prejudiced
Beate Küpper, head of the study, also found that the younger and more educated the interviewees were, the less prejudiced they were against same-sex marriage. Women generally have a more positive view of homosexuality than men. Another factor that plays into attitudes is religion. The more religious people are – be it Jewish, Christian, Hindu or Muslim – the less tolerant they are of homosexuals and bisexuals. – dw.com
For more information and a full video, head over to dw.com
With 83 percent approval, 17 percent not, should Germany wait to move along with LGBT equality / marriage equality?
How much more approval is needed?
ht/: dw.com
This not in my backyard thing
This not in my backyard thing is interesting to me. Do these people never enter any retail stores? I live in the south and can walk into my local Wal-Mart and count at least 7 gay guys working there.