CDU votes against the AfD's gender proposal

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The Hessian state parliament

Photo: Andreas Arnold / dpa

The dispute over gender-equitable language is one of the most annoying topics in the federal election campaign.

And probably also among the most confusing: The Hamburg CDU had recently brought up a ban on gendering, and party colleagues have now voted against such a project.

On Thursday, the AfD introduced the motion "Against gender coercion - for German grammar" in the Hessian state parliament.

All other parties, including the CDU, rejected him.

However, there is such a proposal from Hamburg almost word for word: "For German grammar, against gender coercion".

It comes from the CDU.

Almost word for word requests

With its application, the AfD parliamentary group wanted to enforce that the Hessian state authorities, schools and other state institutions should not be gendered.

That is discrimination and exclusion of people who reject the use of gender-sensitive language.

The Christian Democrats in Hamburg are making the same call.

• Among other things, the CDU says: »In private, everyone should be able to speak and write as they wish.

  If, however, in state institutions, without any basis or legitimation, a style that is often spelling and grammatical is incorrect and is used in official communication, the language is threatened with left ideological appropriation. "

• The AfD formulates almost identically: “In private space, everyone can write and speak as they want.

  However, there is a risk of left-wing ideological appropriation of the language if, in state institutions without any basis or legitimation, an often spelling and grammatical incorrect style prevails and is used in official communication. "

The Hessian CDU rejected the AfD application as presumptuous.

"A little research could have spared the CDU this embarrassment," said Frank Grobe, cultural policy spokesman for the AfD.

Gender equitable language aims, among other things, to make women more visible in word and writing.

Instead of using the generic masculine, women should also be mentioned; other proponents also advocate the use of special characters to include minorities.

A few weeks ago, the Hamburg CDU boss Christoph Ploß gave the impetus to the gender debate.

In a SPIEGEL interview, he spoke out in favor of a gender ban for state institutions.

According to the member of the Bundestag, this demand should become part of the Union's government program.

"Being meant only leads to injustices"

With his proposal, Ploß triggered widespread criticism from his own and other parties.

"I do not think that we should impose such obligations and vice versa not issue any bans," said SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, among others.

The left-wing politician Christiane Böhm also showed in the Hessian state parliament how absurd the dispute over gender-sensitive language can become.

In her speech against the AfD application, she first consistently addressed all those present in the room using the female form.

When the (male) AfD parliamentary group was outraged, Böhm responded with a view to the generic masculine: "See, being meant, only leads to injustice."

Then she herself stopped using only the feminine form in her salutation.

“I can't do that to feminism to permanently upgrade seven right-wing men to women,” said Böhm.

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