00:00How did the German far right evolve from this to being openly led by a woman?
00:07Lesbian, partner of a migrant, and mother of two adopted children?
00:12I'm talking about Alice Weidel, the co-leader of Alternative for Germany, Alternative
00:17for Deutschland, AFD, the nationalist and far-right party that keeps gaining ground
00:23votes in that country.
00:24In 2025, she was a candidate for Foreign Minister and, although she did not win, the party has continued
00:30growing.
00:30Last Sunday, the AFD achieved a historic victory in the federal state of Saxony,
00:37It obtained almost 44% of the votes and was only three seats short of an absolute majority.
00:43That's the closest the far right has come to governing a German state since
00:48World War II.
00:49Today the AfD is the main opposition force in Germany and is getting closer and closer to
00:55power, even when other parties refuse to form a coalition with them.
00:59And that has everyone waiting to see what will happen there.
01:02The AFD promotes a family model based strictly on heterosexual and traditional couples.
01:08And one of its main banners has been anti-immigration policies.
01:12This is a mere contradiction.
01:14Or maybe not?
01:14When Germany legalized same-sex marriage in 2017, the AFD was outraged.
01:20In 2018 they presented a bill to repeal it, and in 2019 they tried again, in both cases.
01:26cases without exile.
01:27Over time, they gradually diminished the importance of that cause.
01:30And in fact, Baydel herself has said that she does not support same-sex marriage, but rather
01:35civil union, which is the legal figure that the union with one's partner has.
01:40That is not a minor difference, because marriage and civil union are not legal figures
01:44The legal systems are the same, and their effects may vary depending on the country.
01:48Today, the AFD's narrative is that they are not homophobic and that, according to them, the real
01:55The threat to the LGBTIQ+ population comes from Muslim migrants.
01:59But take a look at some of the proposals the party has on the matter.
02:02Among other things, it seeks to overturn the 2024 Gender Self-Determination Act, prohibit
02:07Gender affirmation procedures for children and young people, censoring content
02:12Queer education in schools is seen as early sexualization, and pride flags should be banned.
02:16in public buildings, oppose the explicit inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity
02:23gender categories as protected by Article 3 of the German Constitution, which
02:27It prohibits discrimination and cutting public funds for related projects
02:32with LGBTIQ+ themes, inside and outside of Germany.
02:35Baydel has said, I am not queer, I am simply married to a woman.
02:40That woman is Sara Bozart, a filmmaker from Sri Lanka with whom he lives in Switzerland.
02:44Moreover, Baydel, with extensive academic training and a career mostly built in the
02:50On the outside, he embodies the opposite of the traditional AFD base voter, who are men
02:56with relatively low levels of education who come from rural areas of Germany.
03:00That's precisely why Baydel is such a valuable asset to the AFD, because he serves as a kind of
03:06of a diversity shield to whitewash a community that has been labeled as
03:12extremist and connect with a slightly broader electorate.
03:15What do you think? Do you believe this is pure political calculation or that it can actually be done?
03:20Being gay, benefiting from advances in LGBT rights, and at the same time promoting an agenda
03:26Against them? Tell us about it.
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