German LGBTQ+ activist warns over 'worrying' hate crime rise

Anastasia Biefang, 49, prominent German LGBTQ+ rights activist, attends the Christopher Street Day (CSD) Pride parade in Berlin, Germany, July 22, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

BERLIN (Reuters) - Prominent German LGBTQ+ rights activist Anastasia Biefang has expressed concerns about an increase in homophobic and anti-transgender violence and abuse in the country, comparing it to rhetoric used by the Nazis.

Biefang, who made headlines as the first trans person to serve as a commander in the German military, spoke this weekend as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin to celebrate Christopher Street Day and demand LGBTQ+ equality.