Queer Commissioner of the Berlin State Government for the acceptance of sexual and gender diversity

Function

Berlin is the birthplace of the homosexual movement worldwide. As rainbow capital, Berlin is therefore a pioneer in terms of self-determination and acceptance of gender and sexual diversity.
This makes Berlin both a home and a place of hope for tens of thousands of queer people. However, the visibility of queer identities still poses a threat. For years, Berlin has seen a worrying increase in incidents of queer hate crime. According to the 2nd Berlin Monitoring Report “Trans- and Homophobic Violence” (12/2022), the continuous increase in police-registered LGBTIQ+-hostile crimes in Berlin has continued since 2014. The Federal Ministry of the Interior’s report on politically motivated crime recorded a 15% increase in crimes in the area of “sexual orientation” in 2022. The number of unreported cases is estimated at 90%. Discrimination takes place not only in public spaces, but also in schools, clubs, workplaces and within families.
In accordance with its constitution, the state of Berlin is committed to the equal treatment and equality of people of different sexual identities and lifestyles. Since 1989, Berlin has consistently pursued a state policy for the interests of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans*, intersex, non-binary and queer people.

Tasks

In July 2023, Alfonso Pantisano was appointed by the Berlin Senate as the Queer Commissioner of the Berlin State Government for the acceptance of sexual and gender diversity (Queer Commissioner). He will continue to advocate for queer communities and their concerns in Berlin until the end of the 2023-2026 legislative period. In his role, Alfonso Pantisano will also work together with the district contact persons and representatives for queer issues. His tasks will include the development, management and implementation of lighthouse projects from government policy guidelines as well as special measures and projects with political relevance.
Some of these projects include the convening of a round table on “Protection against queer hate crime”, from which the “State strategy for queer security and against queer hostility” will be developed. From 2024, Berlin will establish an annual state-wide Magnus Hirschfeld Day on May 14 to commemorate the life and work of the German doctor, sex researcher and empiricist. Magnus Hirschfeld was gay, socialist, Jewish and co-founder of the world’s first homosexual movement. In addition, the Queer Commissioner has a representative function at state and federal level and is the contact person for the Queer Commissioner of the Federal Government.

Queer Commissioner of the Berlin State Government for the acceptance of sexual and gender diversity

Person

Alfonso Pantisano has been one of Berlin’s most visible and creative campaigners for the interests of the queer community for many years. He succeeds in building bridges and attracting nationwide attention and understanding for the concerns of queer people outside the community. Alfonso Pantisano focuses on the equality of queer people as a human rights issue and thus motivates young people in particular to become politically active.
Thanks to his many years of experience in various organizations and positions, he knows the structures in politics and civil society and is very well networked.
In 2013, he co-founded the “Enough is Enough!” initiative, which has become the largest German-speaking queer grassroots movement over the years. Pantisano’s great commitment to, among other things, the opening of marriage to same-sex couples, a modern self-determination law, but also his call for the abolition of a ban on blood donations for queer people contributed to the fact that these issues have received a great deal of social and media attention. As a federal board member of the Lesbian and Gay Association in Germany (LSVD), he raised awareness of the situation of LGBTIQ+ people in civil society and politics. In 2023, for example, Pantisano pushed for the Standing Conference of German Interior Ministers to put hate crime against queer people on the agenda for the first time in its history.
Alfonso Pantisano sees queer issues as cross-sectional and emphasizes that they cannot be viewed in isolation from the situation of other marginalized minorities and social issues. As the son of Italian immigrants and influenced by his own biography, justice issues are of particular concern to him.

Contact the Queer Commissioner

E-Mail Queer Commissioner

Senate Department for Labor, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination
Queer Commissioner
Ansprechperson Queeres Berlin
Nordsternhaus
Salzburger Str. 21-25
10825 Berlin

Press contact

For press inquiries to the Queer Commissioner of the Berlin State Government for the acceptance of sexual and gender diversity, please contact:

Press Office of the Senate Department for Labor, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination

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E-Mail Press Office