The Office for Gender Equality carries out much broader equality work than the name might suggest at first glance. In addition to the important work for structural equality for women, the department’s employees also play a key role in promoting the rights of queer people in Leipzig and have actively supported Leipzig Pride for many years.
This rejection at the council meeting on 8 February 2023 is a missed opportunity to further expand the City of Leipzig’s successful equality work. With more staff, the equal opportunities office could counter discrimination more effectively and support more people. This is also true for us despite a tight budget situation, which the administration referred to in its statement on the application.
We also regret that such important motions are apparently not sufficiently coordinated between the progressive queer political parties, as the result of the vote reveals. Equality work should not be a pawn in politics.
