Deutsche Telekom : Human dignity shall be inviolable

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09‑22‑2021

Human dignity shall be inviolable

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People in the queer community are regularly subject of hate, hate speech, and discrimination - including online. The project "100% MENSCH", a Telekom partner in the fight against hate on the Internet, wants to change this. With understanding, openness and fun, they create visibility and conduct education for a diverse society with more respect and solidarity.

People in the queer community are regularly subject of hate, hate speech, and discrimination - including online.

"Gender isn't located between the legs. It is located between the ears!" - with this statement, the project "100% MENSCH" draws attention to the fact that a person's self-expression of the own gender and sexual orientation is the only thing that matters. Whether a person declares himself as female, male, as a person in the continuum in between or even completely outside of it, is not decided by his physical characteristics, but solely by his thinking, feeling and acting. This instinctive knowledge of one's own gender is not a rational decision and cannot be changed. However, it is precisely at this point that social misunderstandings often arise. Online, one finds many statements suggesting that it is a "disguise," a "passing whim," or even a "psychological dysfunction" and that it is therefore justified to verbally, online or offline oppose, exclude, and perpetrate violence.

Why is hate hard on this group of people and individuals?

For all target groups of hatred, otherness alone, the failure to meet social or religious expectations, is the cause of exclusion. From a social-psychological point of view, one's own group moves closer together when it is distinguished from others. Thus, it is often one's own fears, the feeling of not belonging, that trigger hatred of other groups. Often the boundaries of legality are crossed in the process.

Many people are not aware that rules and laws also apply on the Internet. Insults, disparagement, bullying, and even hate crimes occur again and again. But the Internet is not a lawless space and prosecution is technically possible. The project "100% MENSCH" is also regularly affected by insults and threats. Consistent reporting has already led to success in many cases.

Active for a society in which everyone can live the way they feel

With various actions, campaigns, exhibitions and events, the project "100% MENSCH" draws attention to the situation of LGBTTIQ*. For example, with the campaign "Show them off!". A kind of field manual helps to recognize hate and violence. It gives advice on how and where to report it and also explains how to behave in precarious situations. Likewise, the campaign is about drawing attention to the high number of unreported crimes against homophobia, bisexuality, trans* and inter* hostility. The campaign has been running since 2019, and so far more than 40,000 flyers have been distributed, training sessions have been held, and a lot of education has been done at information booths together with "VelsPol", the association of lesbian and gay police officers.

Also clearing-up and information transfer are concerns of the project "100% MENSCH". Interested ones find extensive information material, an own encyclopedia and offers for lectures and discussion rounds on www.100mensch.de.

The project "100% MENSCH" also uses art and music and songs to reach their goals. Their songs are written in German. In the song "Wir sind eins" (English: "We are one") it says: "Our love is powerful, so beautiful and so deep. It tears down walls and braces itself against the fug. It makes the earth tremble, like a love letter that says: Human dignity shall be inviolable!"