Introduction

Abstract

A “historical decision of the German Parliament” (“Historische Bundestagsentscheidung” 2017) was the title of an article published by the German TV station Tagesschau on June 30, 2017, which would be known as the day the German parliament passed the law legalizing same-sex marriage in Germany. This constituted an enormous step with respect to equal rights and the status of homosexual women and men in Germany. Have we overcome discrimination and prejudice in the 21th century? The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reported in 2011 that in 76 countries laws exist criminalizing individuals based on their gender identity or sexual orientation, in five countries, death penalty can be the consequence for “consensual, adult homosexual conduct” (UNHRC, 2011, p. 15).