Debate in Zurich cantonal council gets out of control

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• The Zurich Cantonal Council discussed additional positions for the counseling and support of queer people.
• A statement by the SVP, according to which migration is responsible for many of the problems faced by queer people, caused a scandal.
• In the end, parliament narrowly approved the additional posts - but the political dispute is likely to continue.

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What began as a formal decision on additional job percentages turned into one of the most heated debates of the current session in the Zurich Cantonal Council on Monday.

At the center of the debate was the question of whether the cantonal equality office should receive additional resources. Specifically, it is about 180 full-time equivalents for the counseling and support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people as well as other queer people. According to Justice Director Jacqueline Fehr (SP), the canton is thus fulfilling an existing constitutional mandate.

SVP makes migration an issue

A vote by SVP cantonal councillor Susanne Brunner caused a stir. She argued that additional jobs would not solve the problems of queer people. Rather, the causes lay with the high level of immigration.

This statement immediately triggered fierce resistance on the left side of the council. Representatives of the SP, the Greens and the Alternative List accused the SVP of instrumentalizing queer people for migration policy purposes.

Green cantonal councillor Selma L'Orange Seigo described the SVP as a "xenophobic party". AL cantonal councillor David Garcia Nuñez spoke of ignorance and recalled that queer people had also been discriminated against by bourgeois circles for decades.

Accusations of racism and hate speech

The tone subsequently became even harsher. SVP cantonal councillor Markus Bopp referred to reports of gay couples who had moved away from German cities because of hostility from migrant groups. His party was addressing a real problem.

The other side vehemently disagreed. SP cantonal councillor Leandra Columberg accused the SVP of misusing the issue for "racist propaganda". L'Orange Seigo explained that racist statements do not become less problematic just because they are made calmly.

Later, the EDU was also targeted. After EDU cantonal councillor Hans Egli questioned the need for additional posts, Garcia Nuñez accused his party of wanting to "destroy" trans young people. Egli sharply rejected the statement.

Close decision in parliament

At times, the original issue was almost forgotten. The SVP and FDP wanted to prevent the specialist unit from being given additional posts. However, their motion failed by 74 votes to 99.

As a result, the Equal Opportunities Office will receive the requested 180 additional full-time equivalents.

For the SVP, however, this is not the end of the discussion. Susanne Brunner has already announced that she will continue the fight during the budget discussions in December. She spoke of an impending "state re-education" of the population.