Frankfurt District Court: "Mr." or "Ms." used in salutation is discriminatory

FRANKFURT / MAIN. The Frankfurt Regional Court objected train tickets in which the customer can choose only between the Title Mr. or Mrs. This is discriminatory for people who do not feel they belong to either sex. Companies must also offer a gender-neutral option, the court said on Thursday.

A person who stated their gender identity as "non-binary" had sued Deutsche Bahn. The Frankfurt judges have now agreed. The state-owned company violated the customer's general right to privacy. According to the general understanding, the form of address is of central importance for appearing in a certain gender identity," says the reasoning.

The plaintiff did not make any changes in the civil status register, but that was irrelevant. According to the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court, the right to a salutation that corresponds to gender identity begins with the perceived gender identity, the judges clarified.

Judges recommend "Hello"
However, there is no entitlement to monetary compensation as requested by the customer. The designation as “master” in a single invoice was not meant badly, but only “reflex of mass processing of standardized processes”. The court recommends that the company refrain from using gender-specific form of address entirely or use a neutral greeting such as "Hello".

The company is pursuing a “broad diversity approach”, affirmed Deutsche Bahn to the Hessenschau.

Source: Junge Freiheit