Parliamentary Dialogue on Eliminating Gender-Specific Language
Thursday (1 p.m.) sees the Hamburg Parliament delve into a popular discussion, "No More Gender Language in Administration and Education." The Committee for Equality and Anti-Discrimination will host this event to listen to the representatives of the initiative. They aim to persuade Hamburg's administration, schools, and municipal companies to abandon using gender asterisks and colons in words.
Hamburg’s Equal Opportunities Senator, Katharina Fegebank (Greens), has been vocal against a blanket ban on gender language in administrative and public institutions. She maintains that gender language is not compulsory in Hamburg, neither in administrative nor educational settings. However, it should be accessible when needed.
In August, the Senate affirmed the popularity of the initiative, having acquired over 10,000 legitimate signatures from eligible Hamburg voters. The initiative managed to collect 16,457 signatures.
The initiative's legislative text, when presented to the Bürgerschaft, calls for the Senate to enforce compliance of official, written or digital correspondence and publications adhering to the German Spelling Council's recommended guidelines, in German, for state administrations and educational institutions.
If the Bürgerschaft does not approve such a resolution (widely expected), a referendum would be the next step. The initiative has already declared intent to pursue this route, requiring 66,000 signatures within three weeks.
Hamburg residents passionate about eliminating gender-specific language in public functions are encouraged to take citizenship, enabling them to sign the petition. Empowering these advocates to articulate their concerns effectively to the Hamburg Parliament is pivotal for fruitful dialogue.
Sources:
Insights:
- The 360-degree Gender in Research Project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, aims at incorporating gender aspects into research projects at Hamburg’s universities, promoting diversity and inclusivity at educational institutions.
- Fair Play Film + Culture, a German film industry initiative, works towards creating fairer workplaces in the industry.
- Gender Equality in the European Audiovisual Sector involves industry professionals discussing the state of gender equality in Europe, addressing issues of bullying and discrimination in audiovisual sector.
- Promoting Audio-Visual Cooperation on Youth, Gender, and Diversity is a European Union External Action Service initiative, promoting audiovisual cooperation and addressing challenges like youth, gender, and diversity.
