Even in surreal realms, there are rules. And the strange world of German marksmanship just got a new one that’s all shot up with homophobia.
Dirk Winter, a mild-mannered 44-year-old beverage salesman from the western German town of Münster, stirred up a storm of bourgeois controversy last summer when he, after becoming the Schützenkönig (marksman king) of his local sport shooting club, brought his male partner, Oliver, to the coronation as his ceremonial queen.
That sat just fine with Winter’s fellow rifle-toting club members. “The entire fraternity has now said that we are fully behind it,” announced a spokesman last summer.
Warten Sie just a cotton-picking minute, cried the conservative German Association of Shooting Fraternities. After initially trying to disqualify Winter outright from national competition, the group caved somewhat to protests from German gay rights groups. Okay, the shooting king was eventually told, you can participate — so long as you leave Queen Oliver at home.
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But the group didn’t stop there. To prevent any future same-sex royal brouhahas, the federation voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to henceforth ban gay members from showing up at official events with their male partners.
“The public appearance of same-sex couples is not compatible with the Christian traditions of the fraternities,” said the association in a statement after the discriminatory vote.
“There can and should be gay kings in the future too,” an association spokesman offered in an attempt to backpedal, “but then please with a [female] queen by his side.”
Germany’s Lesbian & Gay Federation responded with a statement that called the vote what it was: a “provincial farce” that made the association appear “ridiculous.”
Image via YouTube
Joe in Savannah
I guess Germany didn’t learn their lesson 70 years ago when Hitler started taking away freedoms…
jason
Oh, you vile German fundamentalists. You were responsible for World War II’s atrocities. You are disgusting German creatures.
Dorothea from Germany
@Joe in Savannah: Gun freaks are right-wing homophobes. This applies to every country. However, Germany has much fewer of them than the USA.
Anna
@ Joe & jason
Bringing up national stereotypes is just sad. Sure, there’s still a long way to go, but you really should read up on today’s Germany before making comments like that. You might want to start by googling people like Guido Westerwelle and Klaus Wowereit.
Darrell
Thank you, Anna. At least someone understands Germany today is completely different. Germany is a way more accepting country than the US and Dorothea is absolutely right especially since Germans have heavy gun restrictions unlike the US where a convicted murderer can practically just throw one in his shopping cart at Wal Mart.