Germany gay laws

Although same-sex sexual activity between men was already made illegal under Paragraph by the German Empire in , Nazi Germany extended these laws during World War II, which resulted in the persecution and deaths of thousands of homosexual citizens. Homosexual activity in Germany is legal. Germany fully repealed section of the German Criminal Code and legalized homosexual activity in Section of the Criminal Code was relaxed for persons over 21 years in East Germany in , with West Germany following suit in Germany has made significant progress in recent years regarding the legal rights and inclusivity of LGBTI individuals, with improvements in laws against discrimination and plans for cultural modernization.

In Germany, every person is free to live out their sexual orientation and identity, and the law protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, non-binary, pansexual, poly sexual, intersex and asexual individuals, i.e. the LGBTQIA+ community. In , Germany legalized same-sex marriage, granting LGBTQ+ couples equal rights, including adoption. This landmark decision signified a significant step toward inclusivity and equality.

Former federal prosecutor Manfred Bruns called the abolition of Paragraph a "sheer relief.

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The day finally came on June 11, , when the so-called "gay paragraph," which dated back to the 19th century, was struck from the statute book. This put an end to the legal persecution of male homosexuals in Germany, which had lasted more than a century. Paragraph was introduced when the German Empire was founded in It made "unnatural sexual offenses" between men punishable by up to six months in prison.

It did not criminalize or even recognize female homosexuality, although women were also prosecuted, albeit not to the same extent as men. Under the Nazis, persecution intensified: A mere kiss or a lustful glance was enough to land gay men in prison. With considerable zeal, and with the help of the Nazis' "Pink List," West Germany initiated around , proceedings against homosexuals.

In the late s, East Germany scrapped the paragraph but replaced it with a new one regulating gay sexual contact with minors, which was thrown out in Read more : Steinmeier asks for pardon for Germany's injustices towards homosexuals.

In , West Germany modified Paragraph to allow homosexual acts between men aged 21 and over; in the age of consent was lowered to 18 — four years above the general age of consent for heterosexuals. Former federal prosecutor Bruns is convinced that "without German unification, Paragraph would not have been abolished. It insisted that, with regard to both Paragraph and abortion, West German law should not be adopted in the newly unified Germany.

Read more : Gay couple becomes first in Germany to adopt child. Many of them were afraid that homosexuality might spread like wildfire. Bruns' story shows how long of a journey homosexuals had to make in Germany before being granted equal rights. For decades, the attorney repressed all signs that he might be homosexual. He married, had three children, and had a very successful career, becoming a prosecutor at West Germany's Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.

In , homosexuality briefly became a major political issue. Bruns, who had already confided in his wife, felt that this was the moment for him to come clean with the Federal Court of Justice. Rebmann's argument was that, in the third division of the criminal court, Bruns had to deal with cases of spying, and his "deviant sexual behavior" made him a security risk.

Read more : Gay conversion 'therapy' ban in Germany gains momentum. One year later, the whole of Germany learned that Manfred Bruns was gay. The federal prosecutor was invited onto a TV talk show to discuss the topic of homosexuality. Bruns had found the issue that was to become the focus of his life. He started campaigning for the equal rights and treatment of "ers," as they used to be called and became the spokesman of the Lesbian and Gay Association in Germany LSVD.

Bruns still works as a legal advisor for the LSVD. He has been living happily with his male partner for the past 26 years. His motivation was always the same: "I had to do something to make sure life stories like mine didn't get repeated. Perhaps he has even gone beyond it. And today it's possible to have gay ministers in Germany.

That's just great.