Overview

• Germany’s federal cabinet appointed Koch to succeed Green Party politician Sven Lehmann as Commissioner for Acceptance of Sexual and Gender Diversity.
• At 31, the Saxony Landtag deputy has led state-level advocacy for queer communities and identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
• Her mandate includes building partnerships with civil society groups and coordinating across ministries to raise awareness and strengthen unity.
• The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD had scarcely addressed queer issues and threatened to eliminate several commissioner posts, making her appointment uncertain.
• Her neutrality has been questioned after participating in a January SPD-led demonstration against the CDU and party leader Friedrich Merz.