Volker Beck
Encyclopedia
Volker Beck is a German
politician. He is a sitting member of parliament for the Green Party in the Bundestag
. Beck served as the Green Party Speaker for Legal Affairs from 1994–2002, and as the Green Party whip
in the Bundestag since then. He represents Cologne
and was reelected as MP and whip in September 2005.
Beck is openly gay
and served as spokesman of the Association of Lesbians and Gays in Germany (Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland LSVD
for over ten years. He is a supporter of gay marriage and has been referred to as the Father of the German Registered Partnership Act.
He lived in a long-term partnership with Jacques Teyssier
until his death from cancer in Berlin on July 25, 2009. The couple had officially registered their partnership in 2008, after 16 years.
Between 2001 and 2004 he was chief negotiator for his party on the new immigration
law coming into to force 2005. He is publicly known for being a very tough negotiator.
In 2003, the German Bundestag
decided on his initiative that the Federal Republic of Germany will erect a national memorial in the centre of Berlin for homosexuals persecuted by the Nazi Party
.
In 2006, he sponsored an anti-discrimination act in civil law
and at the workplace, outlawing discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual identity, religion, age, and disability.
On 27 May 2006, Beck was attacked and injured during a Gay Rights demonstration in Moscow
, called Moscow Pride
. His attack as well as his participation at the Moscow Pride Festival is featured in the documentary Moscow Pride '06
.
On May 2007 he was arrested and put in a bus in front of the Moscow City Hall
by the police. He had wanted to hand over a petition signed by several Members of Parliament at Moscow City Hall
. He was attacked and had eggs thrown on his head. As it had already happened in 2007, his partner Jacques Teyssier tried to protect Mr. Beck from attacks by antigay protesters.
Beck spoke in favor of continuing European Union
sanctions on Uzbekistan
, originally instated after the Uzbek government did not allow an international investigation of the Andijan massacre
, on 17 October 2006.
He is also an important figure in recompensation for victims of Nazism
. He negotiated the foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (slave labor recompensation). In 2008, he claimed that the German Parliament should raise more money to fight against right wing extremists
.
On October 3, 2002, he was honored by the then German President Johannes Rau
on the advice of Jewish organisations (the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Jewish Claims Conference) as Knight of the Distinguished Service Cross. Beck also supported the Holocaust memorial and is a member of the Federal Foundation which erected the memorial.
Equality Forum honoured Beck on May 1, 2005 as one of forty heroes for his extraordinary contributions toward LGBT
equality. He is the only non-North American who was honored.
On October 5, 2006 during GLBT history month Volker Beck was featured by Equality Forum.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician. He is a sitting member of parliament for the Green Party in the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. Beck served as the Green Party Speaker for Legal Affairs from 1994–2002, and as the Green Party whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in the Bundestag since then. He represents Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and was reelected as MP and whip in September 2005.
Beck is openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and served as spokesman of the Association of Lesbians and Gays in Germany (Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland LSVD
LSVD
Lesben und Schwulenverband in Deutschland is the largest civil rights organisation of homosexuals in Germany....
for over ten years. He is a supporter of gay marriage and has been referred to as the Father of the German Registered Partnership Act.
He lived in a long-term partnership with Jacques Teyssier
Jacques Teyssier
Jacques Teyssier was a French and German citizen, and a German LGBT rights activist....
until his death from cancer in Berlin on July 25, 2009. The couple had officially registered their partnership in 2008, after 16 years.
Between 2001 and 2004 he was chief negotiator for his party on the new immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
law coming into to force 2005. He is publicly known for being a very tough negotiator.
In 2003, the German Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
decided on his initiative that the Federal Republic of Germany will erect a national memorial in the centre of Berlin for homosexuals persecuted by the Nazi Party
Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism
The Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism in Berlin was opened on 27 May 2008.- Design of memorial :The Memorial was designed by artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset....
.
In 2006, he sponsored an anti-discrimination act in civil law
Private law
Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the jus commune that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts or torts, as it is called in the common law, and the law of obligations as it is called in civilian legal systems...
and at the workplace, outlawing discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual identity, religion, age, and disability.
On 27 May 2006, Beck was attacked and injured during a Gay Rights demonstration in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, called Moscow Pride
Moscow Pride
Moscow Pride is a demonstration of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered persons . It was intended to take place in May annually since 2006 in the Russian capital Moscow, but has been regularly banned by Moscow City Hall, headed by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov until 2010...
. His attack as well as his participation at the Moscow Pride Festival is featured in the documentary Moscow Pride '06
Moscow Pride '06
Moscow Pride '06 is a documentary movie of the 2006 Gay pride parade in Moscow.-Synopsis:The documentary features the events that took place around the first Moscow Pride festival in Russia’s capital from May 25 to May 27 2006....
.
On May 2007 he was arrested and put in a bus in front of the Moscow City Hall
Moscow City Hall
The former Moscow City Hall is an ornate red-brick edifice situated immediately to the east of the State Historical Museum and notable in the history of architecture as a unique hybrid of the Russian Revival and Neo-Renaissance styles. During Soviet times it served as the V. I...
by the police. He had wanted to hand over a petition signed by several Members of Parliament at Moscow City Hall
Moscow City Hall
The former Moscow City Hall is an ornate red-brick edifice situated immediately to the east of the State Historical Museum and notable in the history of architecture as a unique hybrid of the Russian Revival and Neo-Renaissance styles. During Soviet times it served as the V. I...
. He was attacked and had eggs thrown on his head. As it had already happened in 2007, his partner Jacques Teyssier tried to protect Mr. Beck from attacks by antigay protesters.
Beck spoke in favor of continuing European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
sanctions on Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, originally instated after the Uzbek government did not allow an international investigation of the Andijan massacre
Andijan massacre
The Andijan massacre occurred when Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from between 187, the official count of the government, and 5,000 people, with most...
, on 17 October 2006.
He is also an important figure in recompensation for victims of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. He negotiated the foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (slave labor recompensation). In 2008, he claimed that the German Parliament should raise more money to fight against right wing extremists
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
.
Awards
In 2001 the INGLO honoured his work for the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in Germany with the Like-a-rock Award. In the same year the Berlin Gay Pride festival honored him with the Rainbow Award.On October 3, 2002, he was honored by the then German President Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau was a German politician of the SPD. He was President of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004, and Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 1998.-Education and work:...
on the advice of Jewish organisations (the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Jewish Claims Conference) as Knight of the Distinguished Service Cross. Beck also supported the Holocaust memorial and is a member of the Federal Foundation which erected the memorial.
Equality Forum honoured Beck on May 1, 2005 as one of forty heroes for his extraordinary contributions toward LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
equality. He is the only non-North American who was honored.
On October 5, 2006 during GLBT history month Volker Beck was featured by Equality Forum.