A draft of Berlin’s new daycare education program has sparked outrage among left-wing politicians and activist groups, who are furious that topics such as gender identity, LGBT lifestyles, and anti-discrimination education may no longer be central to what toddlers are taught in state-run facilities.
The document, still in a confidential review phase, reportedly strips back the ideological content embedded in the city’s 2014 curriculum, drawing accusations of a “step backwards” from the progressive LGBT ideology so willingly now promoted across Western Europe.
“Content on the recognition and active addressing of diversity, queer lifestyles, gender diversity and anti-discrimination education is completely deleted or reduced to a minimum,” complained Alexander Freier-Winterwerb, the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) spokesman for family and youth policy. In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, he lamented the removal of material designed to embed gender and identity theory into early childhood education.
The new draft, produced under the supervision of CDU Youth State Secretary Falko Liecke, has not yet been made public, but has been circulated to selected associations and experts for consultation. Liecke defended the document, clarifying that it is an early version and subject to change, with feedback being accepted until June 26.
This, however, hasn’t stopped activists from expressing their outrage. The Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD) warned that the removal of queer content could undermine what they see as children’s right to “feel recognized and safe.” Florian Winkler-Schwarz, LSVD’s managing director, demanded that the curriculum explicitly mandate queer representation and that queer advocacy groups be brought in to revise the document.
The city’s 2014 education program emphasized “diversity” as a core educational concept. Freier-Winterwerb now complains that the new draft only mentions “diversity” once, with no reference to gender ideology.
“Children grow up in very different family forms – and many of them experience at an early age that their reality of life is not made visible or even concealed,” said LSVD board member Ulrich Kessler. The pro-LGBT group claims that omitting such content undermines equal opportunity and amounts to exclusion.
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