On the German trans-debate

The debate over trans rights in Germany has also become bitter and polarized.

Bubbling underneath the surface of German public life is a debate that closely mirrors one that has been going on in the English-speaking world over the past couple of years - the thorny issue of gender identity.

In this instance though the villain of the piece is not a beloved children’s author, but the grande dame of German feminism, Alice Schwarzer.

Schwarzer shot to prominence in the early 1970s when she convinced several hundred women to publicly declare that they had had an abortion (it later turned out that not all had) at a time when it was still illegal. The campaign is widely viewed as a key turning point that led to legalization in 1974.

At the age of 70, Schwarzer is still one of the most influential intellectuals in Germany due to her role as publisher of the popular woman’s magazine Emma.

Alice Schwarzer. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Never afraid to denounce opponents, Schwarzer once told a Jewish author on live television she was “not only a sexist, but also a fascist.” The auth…