The OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (ELS) has been supporting the inclusion of increasingly diverse groups in member countries through its work on gender equality, ageing and employment, the labour market integration of youth, the inclusion of people with disability, or the integration of immigrants and their families. Since 2016, following a Call to Action signed by 12 member countries, ELS has been leading the organisation’s work on the inclusion of LGBTI+ people, i.e. lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and intersex individuals.

Ensuring that LGBTI+ people can live as who they are without being discriminated against or attacked is a key policy imperative. This report is the first country review undertaken as part of the OECD work on LGBTI+ inclusion. It explores legal and policy achievements towards LGBTI+ equality in Germany at both the national and subnational levels, to identify progress and remaining challenges as well as facilitate the sharing of good practices within and across different levels of governance. After investigating the life situation of LGBTI+ Germans, the report analyses the extent to which laws and policies conducive to LGBTI+ equality have been passed and implemented, at both the federal and state levels.

This introductory chapter summarises the report’s findings on the state of LGBTI+ inclusion in Germany. After investigating the life situation of LGBTI+ Germans, the report analyses the extent to which laws and policies conducive to LGBTI+ equality have been passed and implemented, at both the federal and state levels. The report yields three main takeaways: (i) despite improvements in social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities, anti-LGBTI+ discrimination and violence is a reality that hampers the well-being of millions in Germany; (ii) although legal achievements towards LGBTI+ equality have been substantial at the federal level, they remain modest at the state level; (iii) beyond laws, policy achievements towards LGBTI+ equality have been significant, at both the federal and state levels, although margins for improvement exist notably in the field of preventive policies.

This chapter sheds light on the life situation of LGBTI+ individuals in Germany. It presents the most up-to-date data on the share of Germans who self-identify as LGBTI+, and evaluates the extent to which sexual and gender minorities are on a level playing field with other groups, including at the subnational level. It concludes by investigating how LGBTI+ Germans fare in terms of well-being. The results call for further action to improve the lives of LGBTI+ individuals. The share of LGBTI+ Germans may be as high as 14% (11.6 million people), and this population is still exposed to significant discrimination and violence, with detrimental effects on their life satisfaction and health.

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the extent to which laws critical to achieve LGBTI+ equality have been passed in Germany, at both the federal and state levels. After clarifying what these laws are, the chapter investigates whether these laws are in force. It concludes by discussing how LGBTI+ equality in Germany could be further improved through legislation. This analysis reveals strong legal achievements towards LGBTI+ equality at the federal level, and more modest ones at the state level where little action has been taken to protect individuals, including sexual and gender minorities, against discrimination originating from state administration and authorities. That said, margins for improvement exist also at the federal level, for all categories of LGBTI+-inclusive laws.

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the extent to which policies critical to achieve LGBTI+ equality have been implemented in Germany, at both the federal and state levels. After clarifying what these policies are, the chapter investigates whether these policies are carried out. It concludes by discussing how LGBTI+ equality in Germany could be further improved through policies. This analysis reveals that German states have been successful in putting many of the good intentions expressed in their action plan into practice, including with the support of the federal government. That said, further actions are needed, especially with regards to preventive policies aimed at fostering a culture of equal treatment of LGBTI+ individuals at school, in the workplace, and in health care.