Vom Verbot zur Gleichberechtigung - Hirschfeld-Eddy-Stiftung

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Pars pro toto, I would like to cite some of the federal government’s activities.
When a Ugandan parliamentarian submitted a proposed “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” to
the Ugandan Parliament, there were harsh reactions. The Federal Minister of Economic
Cooperation and Development Niebel threatened to end cooperation on development
projects. The United States and other allied countries reacted in a similar manner. As the
Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights, I travelled to Kampala and appeared
before the parliament and the government in order to emphasise our standpoint.
To this day, the law has not been ratified and, in the meantime, a very interesting dialogue
has developed with the Ugandan parliamentarians concerning the human rights
of LGBTI. The Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has, in the meantime,
made the situation of LGBTI a criterion for cooperating on development projects.
Based on these experiences, I invited a group of African LGBTI activists to Germany. The
goal was to clearly signal our support and, above all, to show them the progress that has
been made in Germany. In the meantime, the federal government supports a number of
LGBTI projects in Africa, something that can also be attributed to this visit.
Providing financial support for the film Parada, was an entirely different type of project.
This Serbian film illustrates the difficulties faced by a group of activists trying to stage a
Gay Pride Parade in Belgrade. The film was awarded the Audience Award at the Berlinale
in 2012 and was very popular with viewers in Serbia. The federal government uses the
film for work in Eastern Europe, where it is often successfully shown in homophobic environments
at numerous German embassies, thereby making an appeal for acceptance.
The federal government uses the film particularly in countries where staging Gay Pride
events is very difficult or impossible. The showings are accompanied by political efforts
aimed at convincing governments of the right to demonstrate and garnering support
from civil society.
Germany’s responsibility in the future
Our commitment to the human rights of LGBTI has increased in recent years. Nevertheless,
it is still important, particularly in Germany, to continue to appeal for more support
to increase this commitment. Millions of people all over the world are affected by discrimination
and persecution due to their sexual identity. It is our political – and humanitarian
– responsibility to take a stand for their protection.