Katja Meier
{{Short description|German politician (born 1979)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Katja Meier
| image = 2024-09-01 Wahlabend Sachsen by Sandro Halank–075.jpg
| caption = Katja Meier in 2024
| office = Saxon State Minister of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Equality
| term_start = 20 December 2019
| predecessor = Sebastian Gemkow
| office1 = Member of the Landtag of Saxony
| term_start1 = 2015
| term_end1 = 2020
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1979|09|10}}
| birth_place = Zwickau, East Germany
| party = Greens
| nationality = German
| children =
| alma_mater = University of Münster
| occupation =
}}
Katja Meier (born 10 September 1979){{Cite web |title=Bundesrat - Mitglieder - Katja Meier |url=https://www.bundesrat.de/SharedDocs/personen/DE/laender/sn/meier-katja.html?view= |access-date=2021-04-07 |website=Bundesrat |language=de |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419083656/https://www.bundesrat.de/SharedDocs/personen/DE/laender/sn/meier-katja.html?view= |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Katja Meier - Munzinger Biographie |url=https://www.munzinger.de/search/go/document.jsp?id=00000031951 |access-date=2021-04-11 |website=www.munzinger.de |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411223935/https://www.munzinger.de/search/go/document.jsp?id=00000031951 |url-status=live }} is a German politician who is a member of Alliance 90/The Greens. She was a member of the Landtag of Saxony 2015-2020 and has been serving as Saxon State Minister of Justice and for Democracy, European Affairs and Equality since 20 December 2019.{{Cite web |title=Ausgeschiedene Abgeordnete (7. Wahlperiode) |url=https://www.landtag.sachsen.de/de/abgeordnete-fraktionen/abgeordnete/ausgeschiedene-abgeordnete.cshtml |access-date=2021-10-27 |website=Der Sächsische Landtag |language=de }}
Early life and education
Meier was born in Zwickau. In the 1990s, she played bass in a local punk band called Harlekin.{{Cite web |title="Advent, Advent, ein Bulle brennt": Sachsens Justizministerin spielte in umstrittener Punkband |url=https://www.tag24.de/nachrichten/leipzig-dresden-liess-sachsens-gruene-justizministerin-meier-als-punkerin-bullen-brennen-1339663 |access-date=2021-04-07 |website=TAG24 |date=2 January 2020 |language=de |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209081536/https://www.tag24.de/nachrichten/leipzig-dresden-liess-sachsens-gruene-justizministerin-meier-als-punkerin-bullen-brennen-1339663 |url-status=live }} After passing her Abitur in 1998, she studied political science, modern and contemporary history and sociology at the Universities of Jena, Tartu, and Münster, graduating with a MA degree in 2004.
Political career
Meier became a member of the Greens in 2005 and became a member of the Landtag of Saxony in 2015, after the originally elected {{ill|Eva Jähnigen|de}} gave up her seat.{{Cite news |title=Grünen-Kandidatin Katja Meier: Für eine Regierungsbeteiligung stellt sie Bedingungen |language=de |url=https://www.tag24.de/nachrichten/kandidatin-katja-meier-fuer-eine-regierungsbeteiligung-stellt-sie-bedingungen-1188853 |access-date=2021-04-07 |archive-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103174744/https://www.tag24.de/nachrichten/kandidatin-katja-meier-fuer-eine-regierungsbeteiligung-stellt-sie-bedingungen-1188853 |url-status=live }}
Jointly with Wolfram Günther, she was elected as her party's top candidate in the 2019 Saxony state election.{{Cite news |date=2019-09-01 |title=Sachsen-Wahl 2019: Die Spitzenkandidaten von CDU, Grüne, AfD und anderen |language=de |url=https://www.merkur.de/politik/sachsen-wahl-2019-spitzenkandidaten-von-cdu-afd-gruene-und-anderen-zr-12833268.html |access-date=2021-04-07 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920215651/https://www.merkur.de/politik/sachsen-wahl-2019-spitzenkandidaten-von-cdu-afd-gruene-und-anderen-zr-12833268.html |url-status=live }} Subsequent coalition talks led to a black-red-green coalition under Minister-President Michael Kretschmer, and Meier was given the post of Saxon State Minister of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Equality on 20 December 2019, and subsequently gave up her seat in the Landtag on 9 January 2020.
Controversies
In early 2020, videos of the punk band Meier had been playing bass guitar in as a teenager surfaced, including an anti-police song with violent lyrics ("Advent, Advent, a cop is burning. First one, then two, then three", paraphrasing the well known advent song and children's rhyme {{ill|Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt|de}}). Meier was attacked by politicians of the far right Alternative for Germany over this; she distanced herself from any support of violence, and was supported by politicians from other parties.{{Cite news |title=Meier distanziert sich von Liedtexten |language=de |url=https://www.saechsische.de/meier-distanziert-sich-von-liedtexten-5156764.html |access-date=2021-04-07 |archive-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103110751/https://www.saechsische.de/meier-distanziert-sich-von-liedtexten-5156764.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=mdr.de |title=Punkvergangenheit der Justizministerin sorgt für dicke Luft im Parlament |language=de |url=https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen/politik/katja-meier-vorwurf-debatte-landtag-linksextremismus-100.html |access-date=2021-04-07 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419083736/https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen/politik/katja-meier-vorwurf-debatte-landtag-linksextremismus-100.html |url-status=live}}
After Meier raised a rainbow flag in front of her ministry building to celebrate Christopher Street Day 2020, a citizen took the ministry to court for violation of neutrality. The courts allowed the flag to stay.{{Cite news |title=Regenbogenflagge darf bleiben |language=de |url=https://www.saechsische.de/regenbogenflagge-darf-bleiben-5214062.html |access-date=2021-04-07 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612154418/https://www.saechsische.de/regenbogenflagge-darf-bleiben-5214062.html |url-status=live }}
Meier was nominated by her party as delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2022.[https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/878348/b21e5621b2f3de04e328535bd589e151/mitglieder_bv_2022-data.pdf 17th Federal Convention, 13 February 2022, List of Members] Bundestag.
Personal life
Meier lives in Dresden. Her partner is Josefine Paul, chairwoman of the Green group in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.{{Cite news |title=ZEIT ONLINE |url=https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2F2021%2F15%2Fkatja-meier-josefine-paul-outing-politiker-homosexualitaet-beziehung%2Fkomplettansicht |access-date=2021-04-07 |archive-date=7 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407151559/https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2F2021%2F15%2Fkatja-meier-josefine-paul-outing-politiker-homosexualitaet-beziehung%2Fkomplettansicht |url-status=live}}
References
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Category:German LGBTQ politicians
Category:LGBTQ legislators in Germany
Category:20th-century German LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century German LGBTQ people
Category:Alliance 90/The Greens politicians
Category:Members of the Landtag of Saxony
Category:Ministers of the Saxony State Government