Is It an Insult to Call Someone a “Homosexual”? Defamation, Discrimination, and Changing Cultural Attitudes
by Silvia Tellenbach
Question(s) at stake
Whether calling a someone a “homosexual” is an insult.
Outcome of the ruling
Calling someone a “homosexual” is only an insult if it is accompanied by disparaging language.
Country:
Official citation
Regional Court Tübingen, 24. Small Criminal Division, Judgement of 18 July 2012, 24 Ns (13 Js) 10523/11 (LG Tübingen, 24. Kl. Strafkammer, Urteil vom 18.7.2012, 24 Ns (13 Js) 10523/11)
Topic(s)
Keywords:
Defamation Non-discrimination Rights and freedoms Sexual orientation Hate crimes and hate speech
Tag(s):
Bibliographic information
Access case report
View case report in the CUREDI databaseAbout the authors
Silvia Tellenbach (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg, Germany)
Dr. Dr.h.c. Silvia Tellenbach is the long-time former Head of the Turkey, Iran and Arab States Unit at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law (presently: 'Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law').
Within the CUREDI project, she is using her expertise in criminal law in Germany to identify court decisions, where cultural and religious diversity issues were involved. In addition to writing templates on such cases, she acts as a reviewer and is a member of the CUREDI Editorial Board.