Summary CDU/CSU, the senior member parties of Germany's coalition governments between 2005 and 2021, were historically opposed to the legalisation of
same-sex marriage. The
Greens, the
Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the
Left Party support same-sex marriage and voted in June 2012 for a defeated bill to legalise it. The
Free Democratic Party (FDP) supports same-sex marriage, though it rejected legislation when they were part of a
coalition government with the CDU/CSU between 2009 and 2013. The SPD agreed to oppose same-sex marriage when in government with the CDU/CSU between 2013 and 2017. Most parties made agreement on same-sex marriage a condition for joining a coalition government with the CDU/CSU after the
2017 federal election. Since legalization in October 2017, the CDU/CSU has opposed motions to repeal the same-sex marriage law, and mostly considers the matter "settled". and in 2023 the
Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) adopted a party platform supporting same-sex marriage. As of 2023, the
Alternative for Germany (AfD) remains the largest party opposed to same-sex marriage. In
German, same-sex marriage is known as () or more commonly in public discourse as (), meaning "marriage for all".
Second Merkel Government The opposition Greens released a draft same-sex marriage law in June 2009. However, the Bundesrat rejected the bill in September 2010. Only
Berlin,
Brandenburg,
Bremen and
North Rhine-Westphalia voted in favour; the remaining 12 states opposed it. In June 2011, following CDU losses in state elections, the
Senate of Hamburg also announced its intention to submit a same-sex marriage bill to the Bundesrat. On 28 June 2012, a Greens motion to legalise same-sex marriage was defeated in the
Bundestag by a vote of 260 to 309 with 12 abstentions. The motion sought to grant same-sex couples equal rights in adoption and taxation. Members of the CDU/CSU and the FDP voted against the proposal, while the opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and The Left, supported it. On 22 March 2013, the Bundesrat passed a bill proposed by 5 states (
Hamburg,
Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia,
Rhineland-Palatinate and
Schleswig-Holstein) to open marriage to same-sex couples. The bill was then submitted to the Bundestag for a vote; however, the ruling coalition remained unchanged from 2012, when the previous proposal had been defeated.
Third Merkel Government Developments in 2013–2017 Federal elections were held on 22 September 2013, after which a new government coalition was formed. The new Bundestag, inaugurated on 22 October, again consisted of a theoretical majority of parties in favour of same-sex marriage (SPD, The Left and the Greens). The Left immediately introduced a bill to legalise same-sex marriage, but the SPD did not support it so as not to jeopardise negotiations on government formation. Even though the SPD had campaigned on "100% equality" for LGBT people, the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the SPD did not contain any significant change regarding LGBT rights. The Left's bill had its
first reading on 19 December 2013 and was subsequently sent to the Legal Affairs Committee for consideration. On 5 June 2015, nine states (
Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein and
Thuringia) submitted a same-sex marriage bill to the Bundesrat. The legislation had its first reading on 12 June 2015. In the Bundestag, the Greens submitted another bill on 10 June 2015. It had its first reading on 18 June. On 25 September 2015, the Bundesrat voted to approve the bill proposed by the nine states. The bill moved to the Bundestag where the governing parties (CDU/CSU and SPD) blocked the consideration of all three pending same-sex marriage bills. In March 2017, the SPD, the junior partner in the coalition government, announced they would press the CDU to legalise same-sex marriage in the face of overwhelming public support. MP
Thomas Oppermann said his party would introduce a bill, in addition to the long-pending bills of the Greens, The Left and the one referred from the Bundesrat, but eventually did not do so. On 20 June 2017, the Federal Constitutional Court rejected an application by the Greens for an injunction that would have required the Legal Affairs Committee to forward bills legalising same-sex marriage to lawmakers for a vote during Parliament's last
pre-election session. On 17 June 2017, the Greens pledged not to participate in any governing coalition after the 2017 elections unless the legalisation of same-sex marriage was part of the agreement. On 24 June, the
Chairman of the Free Democratic Party,
Christian Lindner, said he would recommend that his party make a similar commitment, and the following day the SPD made a similar pledge.
Bundestag vote and approval in
Berlin on 1 October 2017, becoming the first same-sex couple to marry in Germany In late June 2017, whilst answering audience questions at a public forum in
Berlin,
Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly stated that she hoped the question of same-sex marriage would be put to a
conscience vote. This was widely interpreted to mean that she would allow a vote in the Bundestag on the matter without party whip control by the Union parties (CDU/CSU). Shortly after her statement, several politicians, including the
Leader of the Social Democratic Party,
Martin Schulz, pressured for a vote to be held in the last week of June during the final legislative session before summer recess. On 27 June, both Union parties announced that they would allow their lawmakers a conscience vote, although they opposed a vote being held before the federal election. The SPD
de facto breached the coalition agreement and planned on voting with the opposition parties to legalise same-sex marriage. On 28 June, SPD, Green, and Left members of the Legal Affairs Committee voted to schedule a plenary vote on the bill proposed by the Bundesrat in 2015, outvoting CDU/CSU members. The Greens and The Left withdrew their own respective bills. On 30 June, the Bundestag debated and passed the bill by 393–226 with 4 abstentions and 7 absentees. Merkel herself, whose change of position had led to the vote being held, voted against the legislation, but said she hoped the result "not only promotes respect between the different opinions but also brings more social cohesion and peace". On 7 July, the Bundesrat approved the bill without a vote because there were no requests for changes. The bill was signed into law on 20 July 2017 by
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. It was published on 28 July in the and came into force the first day of the third month after publication (i.e. 1 October 2017). Hundreds of same-sex couples were married all over Germany that day, with the first same-sex wedding taking place in
Schöneberg, Berlin between Karl Kreile and Bodo Mende. The same-sex marriage law was short; it added the following sentence to Article 1353 of the
Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch:
Marriage may be entered into for life by two persons of different sex or of the same sex. Reactions and aftermath , July 2017 building in Berlin, 15 September 2017 Several legal experts, including MPs and party leaders, raised doubts about the legality of the law, with former President of the Federal Constitutional Court
Hans-Jürgen Papier arguing that same-sex marriage is inconsistent with previous definitions of marriage espoused by the court. Article 6(1) of the
Constitution places "marriage and family" under the "special protection of the state order". An amendment to the Constitution requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Parliament. These concerns were dismissed by Federal Justice Minister
Heiko Maas, who argued that Article 6(1) neither defines the term "marriage" nor rules out a wider definition. However, the AfD lacked
legal standing to bring a challenge, as it was not part of the federal government nor any state government. It also did not have any representation in the Bundestag at the time, and did not reach the necessary quarter of Bundestag members in the 2017 election. On 6 March 2018, the Bavarian Government announced it would not challenge the law, after commissioned assessments found its chances to be successful as low. In September 2018, nearly a year after legalization, the AfD introduced a motion to the Bundestag to abolish same-sex marriage. The measure was rejected on 11 October, with every other political party opposing the motion. Several Green and CDU/CSU lawmakers instead congratulated the thousands of same-sex couples who had married in Germany in the past year, while other MPs criticised the AfD for their proposal, calling it "undemocratic", "wrong", "a cheap political trick at the expense of free society" or even "lazy as hell". In June 2019, the AfD re-introduced a motion to repeal the same-sex marriage law in both the Legal Affairs Committee and the Family Committee. The proposal was rejected by every other political party. The CDU/CSU stated that "the constitutional concept of marriage is open to same-sex couples". The Social Democrats criticized the AfD for trying to "reopen a completed constitutional debate", while the FDP criticized that a renewed marriage ban for same-sex couples would "reduce their freedom". The Left considered the AfD draft to be a "deliberate provocation aimed at denying equal rights to sexual minorities", and the Greens pointed out that there is "broad political and social majority" support for same-sex marriage. That same month, the AfD presented a motion to the
Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein to force the
state government to challenge the same-sex marriage law at the Federal Constitutional Court. The motion was unsuccessful and opposed by every other political party in the Landtag. In December 2018, the German Parliament passed legislation amending several laws to reflect the legalisation of same-sex marriage, including with regard to the recognition of foreign same-sex marriages and the conversions of registered life partnerships to marriages.
Marriage statistics According to the
Federal Statistical Office of Germany, up to 93,000 same-sex marriages had taken place in Germany by the end of 2024. 680 same-sex couples married in
Berlin from October to the end of December 2017; 181 in
Tempelhof-Schöneberg, 100 in
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and 97 in
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, while the remaining couples married in the 9 other
boroughs. During these three months, same-sex marriages accounted for 18.4% of all marriages performed in Berlin. 168 same-sex marriages were performed in
Stuttgart from October to December 2017, with most being conversions from registered partnerships. By the end of March 2018, more than 1,000 same-sex marriages had taken place in Berlin (four boroughs did not publish their marriage statistics, leaving incomplete data), 900 in
Hamburg, 644 in
Cologne, 477 in
Munich, 216 in
Frankfurt, 192 in
Düsseldorf, 180 in
Dortmund and 158 in
Hannover. Most were conversions from registered partnerships. 2,540 same-sex marriages were performed in Berlin between 1 October 2017 and 31 December 2018, constituting 16.2% of the total 15,660 marriages. Of these, 1,637 (64%) were between two men and 903 (36%) were between two women, while 1,551 (61%) were converted registered life partnerships. In
Brandenburg, 903 same-sex marriages were performed in the same time period, constituting 5.9% of the total 15,440 marriages. 481 (53%) were between two women and 422 (47%) were between two men, while 550 (61%) were converted registered partnerships.
Religious performance Same-sex marriage remains a controversial topic among Germany's largest religious organisations: the
Protestant Church and the
Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church does not permit same-sex marriages in its places of worship, while most member churches of the Protestant Church allow their clergy to officiate at same-sex marriages. Some smaller religious denominations also permit same-sex marriages. The synod of the
Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany voted in November 2021 to bless and perform same-sex marriages in its churches, removing all distinctions between same-sex and opposite-sex partners in canon law and liturgical matters. It had already allowed for the blessing of same-sex registered partnerships since 2003. In November 2022, the United Methodist Church in Germany voted to allow blessings of same-sex marriages. Some
Jewish, and
Buddhist groups also perform same-sex marriages. The
New Apostolic Church has authorised blessings of same-sex registered partnerships since 2011. The couple may receive a "prayer of blessing", but this differs from the classical wedding blessing. Before this, a same-sex couple had received a blessing in
Velbert in 2009.
Protestant Church The Protestant Church consists of twenty
Lutheran,
Reformed and
United Protestant regional churches, encompassing the vast majority of Germany's Protestants. All twenty churches allow their clergy to bless same-sex relationships. Several also perform same-sex marriages in their places of worship: the
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (2016), the
Protestant Church in Baden (2016), the
Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia (2016), the
Evangelical Reformed Church in Germany (2017), the
Evangelical Church of Bremen (2018), the
Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck (2018), the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg (2018), the
Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (2019), the
Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover (2019), the
Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (2019), the
Church of Lippe (2019), the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany (2019), the
Evangelical Church of Westphalia (2020), the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick (2022), and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (2025). The
Evangelical Church in Central Germany allows same-sex marriages to be performed in its churches but only if the local municipality agrees. On 14 August 2016, despite the lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriages, two men were married at
St. Mary's Church in Berlin by two Protestant pastors, the first same-sex marriage performed in a German church. Marriages of same-sex couples are entered into the official church register. Pastors are under no obligation to perform same-sex marriages if this would violate their personal beliefs.
Catholic Church Although the Catholic Church officially opposes same-sex marriages, several Catholic priests have been secretly blessing same-sex relationships for years, notably in the
Diocese of Aachen where five same-sex couples received a blessing in
Mönchengladbach in 2003. In 2007, a same-sex couple also received a blessing in
Wetzlar in the
Diocese of Limburg. In May 2015, the
Central Committee of German Catholics voted in favour of the blessing of same-sex unions. Several bishops have expressed their support for the blessings of same-sex relationships, including bishops
Helmut Dieser,
Franz-Josef Hermann Bode,
Peter Kohlgraf,
Georg Bätzing,
Heinrich Timmerevers and
Bertram Meier. In May 2021, in response to the
Holy See reiterating a ban on blessing same-sex unions, some 120 priests decided to publicly defy the ban and bless several couples. Among them, Father Jan Korditschke decided to bless a member in his
congregation whose partner had recently died, stating "How can you not bless - sorry, I'm getting emotional - a person in mourning after a long-term relationship? Should I say you should be grateful you got rid of this sinful love?". A 2015 survey conducted by the
Free University of Berlin and the
University of Münster showed that 70% of German Catholics supported church blessings for same-sex relationships. In March 2023, the
Synodal Path of the German Catholic Church voted in support of blessing same-sex couples. "Often same-sex couples and remarried divorcees have experienced exclusion and depreciation in our Church. The possibility of publicly placing their partnership under God's blessing does not make up for these experiences. However, it offers the Church the opportunity to show appreciation for the love and values that exist in these relationships and thus ask for forgiveness and make reconciliation possible." The move was approved by a vote of 176–14 with 12 abstentions by the Synodal Path. Shortly following the vote, the dioceses of
Osnabrück,
Essen, and
Speyer, as well as the
Archdiocese of Berlin, announced that their clergy could bless same-sex couples. In December 2023, the Holy See published
Fiducia supplicans, a declaration allowing
Catholic priests to
bless couples who are not considered to be
married according to church teaching, including the
blessing of same-sex couples. The declaration was welcomed by several bishops. Bätzing said he was "grateful", "The declaration
Fiducia supplicans addresses the issues that have become apparent in the recent past around the topics of requests for blessing and blessings from a pastoral perspective and in a theologically moderate and calm language. The declaration applies theological categories and terms in a responsible manner. It draws a clear line between unwavering fidelity to the teachings of the Church and the pastoral requirements of an ecclesial practice that wants to be close to people. A pastoral scope for action is described here, which illustrates responsible Church practice." The
Bishop of Passau,
Stefan Oster, said the declaration could "help us in the polarized debates on this issue", "As a Catholic Church, in the pastoral walk with these people we usually have a great deficit of understanding, and all too often almost no ability to communicate in the care of souls. Now the scope for a shared pastoral path is widening." In April 2025, the
German Bishops' Conference published guidelines for blessing same-sex unions. ==Public opinion==