Social Science (Ethics)
Books (7):
Politik / Wirtschaft Recht- Gymnasiale Oberstufe (Duden Paetec), Politik & Co (Buchner), Mensch und Politik (Schroedel), Politisch denken politisch handeln (Militzke), Demokratie heute (Schroedel), Gemeinschaftskunde (Bildungswerk EINS)
All of the examined books are used in higher levels, for students up to 14 years. Homosexuality is mentioned in four of the seven books, mainly in chapters about social changes. This topic includes new forms of living together, e.g. single parents, homosexual couples and also homosexual couples with children who are called “new families”. Besides this, the aspect of changing role of women in society is discussed.
In one of the books (Duden Wirtschaft Recht) there is an additional page about marriage law in which same sex unions are mentioned.
Politik / Wirtschaft Recht- Gymnasiale Oberstufe (Duden Paetec), Politik & Co (Buchner), Mensch und Politik (Schroedel), Politisch denken politisch handeln (Militzke), Demokratie heute (Schroedel), Gemeinschaftskunde (Bildungswerk EINS)
All of the examined books are used in higher levels, for students up to 14 years. Homosexuality is mentioned in four of the seven books, mainly in chapters about social changes. This topic includes new forms of living together, e.g. single parents, homosexual couples and also homosexual couples with children who are called “new families”. Besides this, the aspect of changing role of women in society is discussed.
In one of the books (Duden Wirtschaft Recht) there is an additional page about marriage law in which same sex unions are mentioned.
Religious Education
Book series (11 in total):
Mitten ins Leben (Cornelsen), Mitten unter Euch (Auer), Reli Plus (Klett), Religion verstehen-entdecken-gestalten (Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht)
Most people in Saxony are protestant, so the analyzed books are mainly for protestant Religious Education. There were only two books in which homosexuality was mentioned. In the first book from 1995 the topic can be found in a chapter about love and sexuality. It is pictured in a negative way as homosexuality is pictured as a phase in puberty. It also says:
“There are only a small number of men and women whose homosexual orientation is strong enough to influence their whole life.”
In “Religion verstehen-entdecken-gestalten” for grade 9 and 10 there is an explicit mention of LGBT. It’s only one page in the chapter “Identity- Love- Partnership”. There’s a letter from a young man to a priest in which he asks for a blessing for him and his male partner. The following is the guideline of the protestant churches in Germany: homosexual relationships are different from relationships between men and women but as there is no contradiction in the Bible a blessing is possible.
Although there is no further reference to LGBT in any other book, it can be stated that especially in the textbooks for younger students, there always exists one chapter about being different and tolerance. The latest versions of textbooks for Religious Education break from the traditional image of family and mention, for example, single parents.
Mitten ins Leben (Cornelsen), Mitten unter Euch (Auer), Reli Plus (Klett), Religion verstehen-entdecken-gestalten (Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht)
Most people in Saxony are protestant, so the analyzed books are mainly for protestant Religious Education. There were only two books in which homosexuality was mentioned. In the first book from 1995 the topic can be found in a chapter about love and sexuality. It is pictured in a negative way as homosexuality is pictured as a phase in puberty. It also says:
“There are only a small number of men and women whose homosexual orientation is strong enough to influence their whole life.”
In “Religion verstehen-entdecken-gestalten” for grade 9 and 10 there is an explicit mention of LGBT. It’s only one page in the chapter “Identity- Love- Partnership”. There’s a letter from a young man to a priest in which he asks for a blessing for him and his male partner. The following is the guideline of the protestant churches in Germany: homosexual relationships are different from relationships between men and women but as there is no contradiction in the Bible a blessing is possible.
Although there is no further reference to LGBT in any other book, it can be stated that especially in the textbooks for younger students, there always exists one chapter about being different and tolerance. The latest versions of textbooks for Religious Education break from the traditional image of family and mention, for example, single parents.