Almost a third of those responding to a survey on dating platform Romeo, which predominantly caters to gay men, favour far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is known for its harsh stance on immigration
AfD is the top choice among gay German men in the February 23 snap elections, a recent poll of 60,000 users has suggested. While the right-wing party has nominated its openly lesbian co-leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for the chancellorship, critics have long claimed that it espouses anti-LGBTQ+ views.
The far-right party emerged as the most popular party, with 27.9% of respondents saying they were planning to back it in the upcoming election. The left-leaning Green Party came in second with 19.9%, while the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) got 17.6%. Chancellor Olaf Scholz‘s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) was the choice of only 12.5% of those who responded.
The level of support for AfD varied in different age brackets, being the strongest among gay men aged 18-24 at 34.7%, in contrast to just 19.8% among those over the age of 60.
Romeo noted that the methodology used in the survey was not necessarily statistically representative. The “geosocial networking” platform, which operates in multiple countries both through its website and an app, claims it has three million LGBTQ+ members altogether.
German group Queer Diversity has characterised AfD as “homophobic,” alleging that the party seeks to do away with anti-discrimination laws and curtail gay rights. Similar criticisms have routinely been made by the party’s political opponents. However, AfD does have several prominent gay and lesbian members in its ranks aside from Weidel.
