In a landmark election, Germany has made history by electing two Trans women to parliament. 

Nyke Slawik (27) and Tessa Ganserer (44), both members of Germany’s Green Party, have committed to advancing LGBTQ+ rights. Following the results, Nyke Slawik tweeted “I hope that today we can open a new chapter of self-determination in politics and end the years of patronizing queer people.”

In a statement to Reuters, Ganserer said, “It is a historic victory for the Greens, but also for the trans-emancipatory movement and for the entire queer community”.

Ganserer was keen to thank her supporters tweeting, “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the trust shown by the voters.” She went on to say, “I’m still overwhelmed, but I’m really looking forward to my new job in Berlin!”

Ganserer, who has two sons, is eager to advance both the rights of women and Trans people in Germany. She has committed to implementing legislation to protect the rights of lesbian mothers and to make it easier for them to adopt. She also intends to amend the procedures in order to make it easier for Trans people to register a change of gender. 

Also addressing Trans rights, Slawik has called for a new self-determination law. She also intends to create a nationwide action plan to tackle rising levels of homophobia and transphobia and to introduce federal anti-discrimination laws.  

Germany has experienced an increase in homophobic attacks over recent years. According to the UK Independent, 2020 saw a massive surge of 36% in reported crimes. 

In contrast to these statistics, the election signals a sway towards a more liberal parliament with the Social Democrats Party taking the largest number of seats. The Green Party also increased their representation by nearly 6%, making them Germany’s third leading party. This result ends the 16-year reign of Angela Merkel’s CDU party, the longest leadership of any party since the reunification of Germany.