German Lawmaker Thinks Gays Almost As Big A Threat As Euro Crisis

Charming German politician Katherina Reiche claimed yesterday that proposals granting more rights to families headed by same-sex couples threaten her homeland's future.

Sweden's The Local has more on the comments made by Reiche, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democratic Union:

What [Reiche] called, “this demographic development”, was “next to the euro crisis, the biggest threat to German prosperity.”

Merkel's Union must, Reiche added, “clearly state that it backs the idea of family, children and marriage, and that society is not held together by small groups but from a stable centre.”
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Certain critics, local paper the Berliner Zeitung said, have revelled in pointing out the hypocrisy in the fact that Reiche herself had two of her three children out of wedlock, while others have taken to Facebook to air their disappointment.

And despite Reiche taking her own Facebook page down after it was flooded with angry comments, some 6,000 gay marriage supporters have moved to a group made specifically for the Berlin-based politician, called No Future with Katherina Reiche.

The comments on that page definitely pull no punches. A letter from organizers reads, "We expected more from you, because thanks to your illegitimate children you know that 21st century family does not automatically mean “husband + wife + children... Your statements are a slap in the face for all families that do not conform to your idea of normal."

Germany's Constitutional Court Gives Same-Sex Couples Tax Break

In a decision that further highlights fissures within Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democratic Union, Germany's constitutional court ruled yesterday that the country must give same-sex couples some of the same tax breaks as heterosexual married couples.

Via CNN:

The court ruled that gay couples who have entered into a "registered partnership," the German legal phrase for relationships similar to marriage, must be exempted from the country's land transfer tax just like straight married couples, according to a court news release.
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[Merkel's CDU] has traditionally been against tax equality for homosexual partnerships. But recently, 13 members of the party called for an expansion of tax rights for same-sex couples.

The group wrote that it feels it is not acceptable that "politics time and again has to be ordered by the constitutional court to abolish inequalities."

Kristina Schroder, Germany's minister for family affairs and also a member of the CDU, has signaled support for the push, saying, "the suggestion comes at exactly the right time. In homosexual partnerships, people take long-term responsibility for each other. They are living conservative values"...

That message - conservatism and equality go hand-in-hand - isn't isolated to only Germany: British PM David Cameron often makes a similar argument, as do conservatives here in the States.

German Footballers Kiss in Anti-Homophobia Poster

Outsports reports on a German campaign fighting homophobia in sports with this poster and caption: “Would you also beat up your favorite player for this?”

Germany Fires Back at Belarussian President Lukashenko After Attack on Gay Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle

Over the weekend Brandon reported on the latest homophobic remarks from Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus. Lukashenko attacked German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle's sexuality after a European Union censure during which Westerwelle referred to Lukashenko as a dictator.

Said Lukashenko: "Better to be a dictator than gay."

Now, Germany is firing back, Reuters reports:

Said Foreign Office spokesman Andreas Peschke: "Unfortunately, these comments speak for themselves. They say a lot about the mind-set of the person making them."

Added German government spokesman Steffen Seibert: "Unfortunately (Lukaschenko's comment) shows very clearly the position that the Belarussian president takes in relation to basic rights. It's interesting to find out this way that Mr Lukashenko too now classes himself as a dictator...That by the way is a view that the federal government reached some time ago and on which the Belarussian president delivers proof almost daily"

It is not the first time Lukashenko has directed anti-gay ire at Westerwelle. Last year, he told reporters he dislikes "faggots" as he confirmed to them that he told Westerwelle that he needed "to live a normal life."

Waiter Spills Tray of Beer on German Chancellor Angela Merkel: VIDEO

Everyone has bad days at work, though it doesn't get much worse if you're a German waiter than spilling a tray of beer all over Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Berlin Man Missing for Three Weeks Found to Be Victim of Gruesome Murder

Berlin's gay community has been rocked by the gruesome murder of a man missing since New Year's Day:

The BZ daily reported on Wednesday that the deceased, Carsten Srock, was found with his limbs expertly carved off with either an axe or large knife. The body pieces were then wrapped fastidiously in plastic bags and cling-wrap, and left to sit in the two-room flat for around three weeks. His head was found, partially cooked, by the police. Prosecutors on the case told the BZ they believe the victim was “murdered for sexual pleasure.”

Owner of the Mariendorf apartment is a 43-year-old man identified as Michael S., who was rescued by paramedics after trying to take his own life. The unemployed Berliner attempted to open a main vein, before calling the emergency services minutes after.

It was only upon the arrival of the paramedics that the gruesome truth began to come to light.