- The rising popularity of anti-gender sentiments could potentially face setbacks
The community petition initiated by the Hamburg group "End to Gender Language in Government and Education" is at risk of falling short. Obtaining the necessary approximately 66,000 signatures by this coming Wednesday for a public vote is challenging, as per the petition's designated representatives. Only about half of the signatures have been gathered thus far. Consequently, the final week of vacation holds immeasurable significance: "If we can't double the signature count by August 28, 23:59, this would also mark a defeat for grassroots democracy," the statement cautioned.
The pushbacks are being attributed to the Senate's strict deadline for signature gathering during the vacation period and inefficient organization. "The summer break impact is a total disaster. If we'd collected signatures in September, we'd already have secured all the signatures," shared Jens Jeep, a spokesperson for the petition.
Additionally, the petition has railed against the lack of sufficient promotion for the current citizen's petition in the 17 Hamburg Service Center locations which serve as collection points for supporters' signatures. "The Senate bears responsibility for the fact that citizens are largely unaware of the citizen's petition and have such a hard time signing it," the petition complained.
Back in early July, the petition had failed with an emergency application seeking a postponement of the signature collection process at the Hamburg Constitutional Court. The petitioners aim to prohibit the Hamburg administration, educational institutions, and municipal companies from utilizing gender asterisks and double colons. Both symbols are employed to highlight the variety of gender identities.
In the text of the law submitted by the petition, it indicates that the Senate should direct these institutions to ensure that formal written or electronic communication and publications adhere to the official guidelines recommended by the German Orthography Council.
Vote could coincide with the federal election
Last summer, the gender opponents triumphed in launching their citizen's petition by submitting 16,000 signatures to the town hall. As per Hamburg's citizen law, the citizen's petition now serves as the second phase of the process, as the Citizens' Assembly did not support the law text.
If the minimum signatures are still gathered by August 28, the path to a public vote would be evident. Then, Hamburg residents could cast their votes concurrently with the federal election in September 2025.
The Hamburg group's concern with 'gender and sex' is evident in their petition against the use of gender asterisks and double colons, arguing that these symbols highlight various gender identities in official communications and publications. The petitioners believe that the Senate should adhere to the guidelines recommended by the German Orthography Council.
During the process of gathering signatures for the petition, the group has expressed frustration with the Senate's strict deadline during the vacation period and the lack of sufficient promotion in Hamburg Service Center locations.
