State funding institutions urged to prohibit programs based on gender by Weimer
In a recent interview with the Bild newspaper, Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer expressed his policy regarding the use of gender-inclusive language with special characters in official communications by public institutions.
The policy, which applies to museums, foundations, and broadcasting institutions that operate with public funds, urges these institutions to use a language that is broadly accepted and understandable to all. This decision is based on the recommendations of the Council for German Orthography, a body that provides guidance on the rules of the German language.
This policy, currently in effect in the federal cultural institutions under Minister Weimer's authority, bans the use of gender-inclusive language with special characters such as asterisks or internal capitalization. Instead, these institutions are required to use standard German language forms like "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren" ("Dear Madam, dear Sir"). This applies to the approximately 470 employees in the federal cultural institutions in Berlin and Bonn.
However, this ban does not extend to private expression, which remains free. As of August 2025, no other federal ministries plan to follow this ban. Some ministries, especially those led by the SPD, continue to use gender-inclusive forms with special characters like the asterisk.
On the state level, there is no clear data indicating that any German states have implemented similar official bans or regulations specific to cultural institutions. However, there is some indication from a related draft document from the German Bishops' Commission advocating for gender-inclusive language approaches promoting LGBTQ+ visibility in schools, but this is still in draft form and not yet official policy.
Minister Weimer's policy is intended to ensure clear and unambiguous communication, and he rejects any patronizing language education. He believes that language should unite, not divide, and that the use of asterisks, colons, or underscores does not reflect the language use of the majority and deepens social divisions.
In 2022, Thuringia instructed its authorities to avoid gender language with special characters for gender specification. Bavaria followed suit in 2024 with a similar ban. Minister Weimer stated that everyone is free to speak as they wish privately, but in official communications, clarity and general comprehensibility are crucial.
In summary, the ban on gender-inclusive language with special characters in official communications is currently limited to the federal cultural institutions under Minister Weimer's authority. No uniform policy exists across Germany at the federal or state levels for publicly funded cultural institutions regarding this matter.
- The policy implemented by Minister Weimer in his authority extends to policy-and-legislation, governing the use of gender-inclusive language with special characters in the communications of museums, foundations, and broadcasting institutions that operate with public funds.
- In politics, there seems to be a divide on the use of gender-inclusive language with special characters, as some federal ministries, particularly those led by the SPD, continue to use such forms, while others, like Minister Weimer's, have imposed bans on their usage in general-news contexts.
