Deutsche Bahn: non-binary persons get own salutation
The Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt has ordered Deutsche Bahn to introduce an alternative form of address for non-binary persons. Failure to comply with the ruling could result in fines of up to 250,000 euros... And that's PER ticket booked.
The new regulations currently (still?) refer to the questionnaires and completion forms at Deutsche Bahn's online ticket counter. It remains to be seen whether the whole thing will be extended even further.
The reason for the innovations: Until now, no suitable form of address for non-binary persons.
How did it come about that Deutsche Bahn had to rethink this? The ball was set rolling by Bahncard owner Robin Nobicht. Some time ago, he decided to have his birth gender removed from his birth certificate. Since then, he has been listed as "without indication". And that is exactly what was now to be transferred to his other documents. However, this plan reached its limits. Because: What is not a problem (anymore) with most official documents was not yet handled very flexibly at Deutsche Bahn.
So when Robin Nobicht wanted to update his Bahncard, he found that only the options "Mr." or "Ms." were available as a form of address. But what if neither of these two standard options applied? Nobicht felt the whole thing was discriminatory against non-binary people and decided to take action. His goal was to ensure that, from now on, non-binary people would also be taken into account in the DB.
The ruling - a step towards more equality
The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court has ruled in favor of the plaintiff. Now Deutsche Bahn must insert an appropriate form of address for non-binary persons. No one should be forced to choose between two options that do not apply. Deutsche Bahn now has six months to update the affected questionnaires.
However, Robin Nobicht is not entitled to compensation.
Deutsche Bahn attempted to appeal the ruling, but was unsuccessful. The injunction remains in effect. The old procedure violates the Equal Treatment Act.
A judgment with a clear message
Nobicht is not the only one who should be happy about the ruling. After all, this is a clear statement that strengthens the rights of a part of the community. If the corresponding lawsuit had not been filed, the status quo would certainly not have changed much in the coming years.
The judgment and the demands associated with it are also interesting from a linguistic-historical perspective. It shows how society has changed over time and which focal points have now become the focus of attention in social terms.
Currently, the ruling of the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt is not legally binding. It remains to be seen how quickly Deutsche Bahn will act and change its offer. Theoretically, it would also still have the option of appealing to the Federal Court of Justice.
However, if this is not the case and if the forms are changed accordingly and as requested, many queers will be relieved. The psychological pressure that results when people are pressed into a grid into which they ultimately do not belong should not be underestimated. If you make a little effort and look at other, non-official questionnaires, you should quickly realize that there is still a lot of work to be done here. Regardless of whether it's a gym, club membership or, or, or: there are still many organizations today that operate according to the classic cis pattern. So it's all the more important that a large, well-known company like Deutsche Bahn is now sending out such an impressive signal - even if it's not entirely voluntary.