CDU on equality and diversity

The CDU opposes gender-inclusive spellings using special characters such as colons or underscores at Hesse's schools. Only the official spelling rules are to apply; in the party's view such spellings make reading harder.

Some people write words with a colon or underscore to include all genders. The CDU does not want this at schools. It says this makes reading harder. Schools should follow only the official spelling rules.

The platform states that everyone should be addressed in gender-fair language. In the CDU's view, however, spellings with special characters cannot be pronounced and make reading harder for students. The official spelling rules alone are therefore to apply to all schools.

The CDU rejects making gender-inclusive language with special characters mandatory at Hessian universities. Those who do not use it should face no disadvantages such as lower grades; the rules of the Council for German Orthography are to apply.

Nobody at universities should have to use gender spelling. This means writing with asterisks or similar signs. People who do not use it should not get a worse grade. The official spelling rules should apply.

The program states that everyone should be addressed in gender-fair language. At the same time it opposes any obligation to use spellings with special characters. Not using them should neither lower a grade nor have other consequences. As the standard, the CDU names the rules of the Council for German Orthography.

The CDU wants to launch an alliance for values lived in everyday life to strengthen respect, consideration and civic courage. It commits to an open society, opposes all forms of discrimination and wants to review age limits.

The CDU wants more respect and cohesion in daily life. It wants to found an alliance with towns, clubs, churches and the media. Nobody should be treated unfairly, for example because of age, religion or sexual orientation. The CDU wants to review age limits.

The alliance is to build on Hesse's "Respekt-Kampagne" (respect campaign) and work through local initiatives; schools are to be involved. The party lists sexual orientation, gender identity, worldview, disability, age, religion and cultural origin as grounds of discrimination. Existing age limits are to be checked for justification as far as legally possible. A "HessenVorbilder" (Hesse role models) campaign is to showcase committed people statewide and foster exchange between generations.

The CDU wants everyone to be addressed in a gender-fair way but rejects any obligation to use gender-inclusive forms with special characters. In its view, language should unite, so it wants to use German according to the established rules.

The CDU does not want a duty to use gender forms with special characters. These are, for example, asterisks or colons inside words. This applies above all to schools and universities. The CDU says language should bring people together.

The platform describes care for the German language as an important bond for social cohesion. The party wants to use the language in line with the official rules. There should be no obligation to use gender spellings with special characters, particularly at schools and universities. At the same time, the platform keeps the goal of gender-fair address.

The CDU wants to reduce differences between women and men in pay and leadership positions. It wants to attract more women to STEM careers and business start-ups, ease the return to work after family leave, and have home care count more toward pensions.

Women often earn less than men. The CDU wants to change that. More women should become bosses. More young women should choose technical jobs. People who care for relatives should get a higher pension.

In the public sector, progress based on Hesse's equal rights law is to continue until full equality is reached. The CDU encourages men to take on more care work and wants to press the federal government to credit home care more strongly in pensions. An alliance with business and academia is to win young women for STEM careers. Female founders are to be supported through networks and mentoring programs, as is the return to work after child-rearing or caregiving periods. The CDU also wants to support research on women's health and awareness of endometriosis.

The CDU wants to better protect women from violence, especially domestic violence. Hotlines, counseling centers and women's shelters are to be kept and expanded where needed.

The CDU wants to protect women from violence. There are hotlines and advice centers for women. There are also women's shelters. This help should stay. Where needed, there should be more of it.

The program describes protection from violence as a top priority. Women's emergency hotlines and counseling and intervention centers are to be preserved. Shelters for acute crises should be reachable everywhere in the state. Expansion is planned where it is necessary.

The CDU wants to fight racism, hate and discrimination and implement Hesse's anti-discrimination strategy. Counseling services and the reporting office "Hessen gegen Hetze" (Hesse against hate speech) are to be strengthened. It wants to record violence against LGBTQ people more clearly and update the action plan for acceptance and diversity.

The CDU is against racism and hate. It wants to strengthen advice centers for this. There is an office where people can report hate speech. It should become better known. Queer people should also be better protected from violence.

The anti-discrimination office and the Demokratiezentrum Hessen network are to expand prevention, counseling and networking with partners. The reporting office against hate speech is to work more closely with the justice system. The CDU wants to fight radicalism regardless of its political or religious origin. Hate violence against LGBTQ people is to be named more clearly, prevention initiated and victim protection increased. The state action plan for acceptance and diversity will be evaluated and continued along with its funding. The program views community events as part of cultural life and wants to counter rejection of them.

The CDU wants to give special support to clubs that create inclusive sports programs for people with disabilities. The program "Sport integriert Hessen" for refugees, people with a migration background and socially disadvantaged people is to be expanded.

The CDU wants to support sports for people with disabilities. Clubs with such programs get special help. Guides will show people with disabilities the way to sports. Refugees and immigrants should also find it easier to join sports clubs.

Funding for the disabled and rehabilitation sports association, Special Olympics Hessen and the deaf sports association is to stay at a high level. The disabled sports association is to get help building its sports and administrative center in Fulda. Guides are to lead people with disabilities to sports programs and take pressure off volunteers. "Sport coaches" will continue to serve statewide as contacts who help bring people into clubs; health sports and prevention projects will also be funded.

Citing Europe's Jewish heritage and Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust, the CDU sees a special duty toward Jewish life in Hesse. It wants to protect Jewish institutions, strengthen the office of the antisemitism commissioner, and further develop the state treaty with the Jewish communities.

The CDU wants to give Jewish people in Hesse special protection. Synagogues and Jewish schools should be protected too. There is a commissioner against hatred of Jews. This office should become stronger.

Jewish citizens as well as synagogues, community centers and schools are to be protected. The program calls attacks on Jewish people and institutions a cause for great concern. According to the CDU, antisemitism is widespread above all in certain groups of migrants. It wants to counter this with targeted integration programs and offerings.

The CDU rejects requiring gender-inclusive spelling with special characters in official administrative language. Its reasoning is that a language that is imposed and hard to understand loses its purpose.

Some people write words with a star or colon to include all genders. The CDU does not want to make this a rule in government offices. It says language must be easy to understand. Offices should write by the normal rules.

According to the program, public administration is to use German according to the established rules. An obligation to use gendered spellings with special characters is rejected. The party argues on the basis of comprehensibility for citizens.