Thomas Mosmann (born 20 December 1972) is a German politician and LGBT rights activist. He was the city, district, and state leader of the Alliance for Human Rights, Animal and Nature Protection,[1][2] as well as the party's lead candidate for the 2017 German federal election in Baden-Württemberg[3] until leaving the party along with 15 other members over disagreements with the federal board.[4]

Thomas Mosmann
Leader of the Alliance for Human Rights, Animal and Nature Protection in Baden-Württemberg
In office
2016–2019
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Leader of the Democratic Gay/Lesbian Party - The People's Party
In office
10 March 2013 – 1 May 2014
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byIngeborg Hepting (provisional)
Personal details
Born (1972-12-20) December 20, 1972 (age 51)
Villingen, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Political partyTierschutzallianz (until 2019)
Other political
affiliations
DSLP (2013–2014)
NPD

Before his activities in the Tierschutzallianz, Mosmann was the founder and leader of the minor Democratic Gay/Lesbian Party - The People's Party.[5][6] Mosmann has also been noted for his former sympathies with right-wing extremist groups, such as the National Democratic Party of Germany.[7] He has since repeatedly distanced himself from his previous views and described his political standing in 2014 as "centre-left".[6]

Personal life

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Thomas Mosmann was born in Villingen on 20 December 1972 and worked in a hotel as of 2015.[8] Mosmann has described himself as gay, has three children, and lived in Tuttlingen until 2022.[9][10]

Political career

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Mosmann first came to regional prominence through his support of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD).[5][10] He wrote letters to the editor in Schwäbische Zeitung as well as internet forum posts supporting the establishment of a local NPD office in his home town of Tuttlingen. In which, Mosmann had declared himself a sympathisier of the NPD, writing "I myself am the father of three children, gay, and a NPD sympathisier". In another post, Mosmann commented "Do you even know how many gay NPD/DVU sympathizers there are? More than you think". He supported the merger of the National Democratic Party of Germany with the German People's Union in 2010.[7] Mosmann was also a member, not just supporter, of the NPD at the time.[6][8]

In 2013, Mosmann founded the Democratic Gay/Lesbian Party - The People's Party (DSLP) in the Club 46, one of the oldest gay bars in Germany, in Villingen-Schwenningen and was elected as the party's leader. Upon being asked about his past, Mosmann asked for a second chance, claiming to have been on the wrong path and having changed his ways.[5] Despite this, sources at the time noted nationalist sentiments in the first DSLP party program.[7][11] On 1 May 2014, Mosmann left the DSLP and laid down all offices in the party.[6]

Upon leaving the DSLP, Mosmann joined the Alliance for Human Rights, Animal and Nature Protection (Tierschutzallianz). On 8 March 2015 Mosmann, along with 34 others, founded the party's district section in Tuttlingen, the first in Baden-Württemberg and was elected its leader at the founding assembly.[2] Mosmann had also been the leader of the party's state section in Baden-Württemberg as well as the city section of Tuttlingen since their respective establishments and until their dissolution.[10][12] Mosmann was the party's lead candidate in the state of Baden-Württemberg in the 2017 German federal election[3] as well as the 2019 European Parliament election in Germany[13] and the 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election in the constituency of Tuttlingen-Donaueschingen.[14][15] He also ran for mayor in Eigeltingen in 2015[8] and Sigmaringen in 2018.[16] Mosmann left the party, along with 15 others, over disagreements with the federal board in 2019, citing an uncompromising and undemocratic party structure as well as the long distance to federal party meetings, which usually took place in Magdeburg.[4][10]

In 2018, Mosmann was quoted in the Stuttgarter Zeitung, as a participant of a demonstration against racism, saying "It is important to stand up against the right – we need to start being mindful that things go forwards, not backwards!"[17]

Mosmann expressed support for the founding of the political party Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht on Instagram in October 2023.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Offenburg: Einsatz für Natur und Mensch". schwarzwaelder-bote.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  2. ^ a b "Tierschutzallianz gründet Kreisverband". www.schwaebische.de (in German). 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  3. ^ a b "Thomas Mosmann will in den Bundestag". www.schwaebische.de (in German). 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  4. ^ a b Jansen, Matthias (2019-08-27). "Bei der Tierschutzallianz fliegen die Fetzen". www.schwaebische.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  5. ^ a b c "Lokales: Nach Abkehr von Rechts schwul-lebische Partei gegründet". schwarzwaelder-bote.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  6. ^ a b c d Hecht, Dorothea (2014-06-03). "Mosmann gibt Ämter bei schwul-lesbischer Partei ab". www.schwaebische.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  7. ^ a b c "Rechtsextreme tarnen sich als Homo-Partei". queer.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  8. ^ a b c "Zweiter Kandidat in Eigeltingen: Thomas Mosmann wirft seinen Hut in den Ring" (PDF). Singener Wochenblatt. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  9. ^ "Vorstand – csd-tuttlingen.de". www.webseiten-mit-erfolg.de. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  10. ^ a b c d Wagner, Ingeborg (2022-06-08). "Fransiska Jung besiegelt das Aus der Tierschutzallianz". www.schwaebische.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  11. ^ "Homophobie im Rechtspopulismus | Antifaschistisches Infoblatt". antifainfoblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  12. ^ Jansen, Matthias (2019-08-28). "Stemmer zieht nach Mosmanns Rücktritt aus Tierschutzallianz keine Konsequenzen". www.schwaebische.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  13. ^ tagesschau.de. "Europawahl – diese Spitzenkandidaten treten an". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  14. ^ "Zugelassene Wahlvorschläge für die Landtagswahl am 13. März 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  15. ^ "Zwölf Bewerber vor Ort". Perle Stadtmagazin Tuttlingen (in German). No. 34. 2016-03-07. pp. 18 & 21.
  16. ^ Witt, Jürgen (2018-06-01). "Sigmaringen: Dritter Kandidat für die Bürgermeisterwahl". SÜDKURIER Online (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  17. ^ "Demos in Stuttgart: Die wichtigsten Zitate der Demo-Teilnehmer". stuttgarter-zeitung.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  18. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
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