- A rebellion against gender inclusivity falls short
The campaign led by the Hamburg group "Stop Gender Language in Administration and Education" Initiative is in danger of falling short. The initiative's leaders have expressed concern that they may not reach the needed 66,000 signatures for a referendum by the upcoming Wednesday, with only around half currently obtained. The last week of summer break is crucial, as the statement mentioned, "Should we not manage to double the number of signatures by August 28, 23:59, this would also be a blow to direct democracy."
The initiators have laid blame on the Senate for setting the signature collection deadline during vacation time and the poor organization of the campaign. Jens Jeep, a spokesperson for the initiative, expressed regret, stating, "If we had collected signatures in September, we would have acquired all the signatures by now."
Furthermore, the lack of promotion for the petition at the 17 Hamburg Service Point locations has provoked criticism. "It is the Senate's responsibility for citizens to remain largely uninformed about the petition and to complicate the signing process," the initiative complained.
In early July, the initiative faced setbacks when their urgent application to postpone signature collecting was denied by the Hamburg Constitutional Court. The Hamburg administration, educational institutions, and municipal companies are the intended targets of the initiative, which seeks to discontinue the use of gender stars and double colons in marketing diversity of gender identities.
In the legislation drafted by the initiative, the Senate is obligated to instruct these institutions to adhere to the official regulations suggested by the German Orthography Council in their official, written, or electronic communications and publications.
If sufficient signatures are collected by August 28, a referendum might coincide with the federal election.
Last year, the "gender opponents" successfully launched their citizens' campaign, gathering 16,000 signatures and submitting them to the town hall. According to Hamburg's referendum law, the petition must now progress to the next step as the parliament did not approve the submitted legislation.
If the necessitated signatures are acquired by August 28, the pathway to a referendum would become clear, enabling Hamburg residents to vote on it alongside the federal election in September 2025.
The initiative's concern about not reaching the required signatures stems from the fact that gender and sex are complex issues that require nuanced discussions. Despite the challenge, Jens Jeep suggested if the signature collection had started in September, they could have achieved sufficient signatures by now.
