Politics wants to counter violence against queers more decisively
In the past, many queers who were victims of homophobic violence were ashamed of it or decided not to report the acts because they were often not taken seriously. In the meantime, the situation has improved in many cities. And yet: it often seems that the extent of violence against queers is still underestimated by many people.
Interior Senator Geisel (SPD) is now campaigning to change just that. Among other things, the police and the public are to be made more aware. Among other things, his plan is to set up a panel of experts.
Geisel's plan in detail
Geisel plans to commission an independent panel of experts to develop concepts on how violence against queers can be better recorded. Because: There is still a lack of transparency even in cosmopolitan Berlin. Many people become victims of homophobic attacks and yet the reason for the attack often remains hidden. It is therefore all the more important to raise awareness and to draw the attention of the population to the fact that homophobia still plays a role in everyday life and that many victims simply do not dare to talk about it because they fear being ridiculed.
How many queer-hostile acts of violence actually occur?
This is a question that cannot (yet?) be answered. Because: Statistics partly contradict each other. For example, there are surveys in which queers state that they have already been victims of physical or psychological violence at least once. However, the number of victims is significantly higher than the data that can be read in police reports, for example.
In order to ensure more transparency here, it would be important in any case to provide for a kind of "help network". Different agencies, for example support services and the police, must work even more closely together to provide queers with an ideal point of contact. Or in other words: no one who has been a victim of homophobic violence in the past should have to ask themselves in the future "Who can I turn to with my problem?".
If you take a closer look at the relevant statistics, you will quickly recognize a pattern. Lesbians are comparatively rarely attacked. Mostly gay and transsexual men become victims. The acts here range from insults to physical injuries that ultimately require hospitalization.
Berlin as a "role model" in matters of enlightenment?
However, a look at the statistics also shows that Berlin sets a positive example when it comes to solving homophobic crimes (or at least recording them). Because: Here - especially in comparison to other cities - many acts are reported and also declared as "queer acts of violence".
How high the actual number of violent acts of this kind is, can only be estimated. Nevertheless, Geisel's plans show that politics is also dealing with this important topic and that possibly the demands that were made in the context of the last CSDs on this topic are now being heard more and more.
Especially in 2021, many rallies focused on the goal of making society even more aware of the fact that acts of violence against queers are not a "marginal phenomenon", but have been increasing alarmingly for several years. Detailed educational work and transparent statistics could help to counteract this in the long term.
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