Ricarda Lang

Lang was raised by a single mother, who was a social worker and worked at a women's shelter.{{cite web|url=https://editionf.com/ricarda-lang-ich-will-mich-nicht-an-den-hass-gewoehnen/|title=Ricarda Lang: "Ich will mich nicht an den Hass gewöhnen!"|trans-title=Ricarda Lang: "I don't want to get used to hate!"|first=Anne-Kathrin|last=Heier|date=1 September 2021|lang=de|website=Edition F}} Her father was the sculptor Eckhart Dietz, who died in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://remszeitung.de/2020/6/16/ricarda-lang-will-fuer-die-gruenen-im-wahlkreis-schwaebisch-gmuend-backnang-in-den-bundestag/|title=Ricarda Lang wants to represent the Greens in the Schwäbisch Gmund/Backnang constituency in the Bundestag|date=16 June 2020|lang=de|website=Rems-Zeitung}} After graduating from the Hölderlin-Gymnasium Nürtingen in 2012, Lang began studying law, first at the Heidelberg University and later at the Humboldt University of Berlin, eventually dropping out in 2019 without graduating.{{cite web|url=https://www.gruene.de/leute/ricarda-lang/|title=Ricarda Lang|access-date=6 February 2022|lang=de|website=Alliance 90/The Greens}}

Lang joined the Green Youth in 2012 at the age of 18. From 2014 to 2015, Lang was speaker for the Campus Greens, the Greens' student association. She was a member of the district executive of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Greens from 2015 to 2016. In October 2015, she became an assessor in the federal board of the Green Youth, and in October 2017 was elected co-spokesperson at the federal congress. In November 2019, she was elected as deputy chairwoman of the Greens and spokeswoman for women's policy.{{cite web|url=https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/L/lang_ricarda-860132|title=Ricarda Lang|access-date=6 February 2022|lang=de|website=Bundestag}}{{cite news|url=https://taz.de/!5638355/|title=Ricarda Lang becomes the new vice chair of the Greens|date=15 November 2019|lang=de|website=Die Tageszeitung|page=2 |last1=Schulte |first1=Ulrich }}

Lang stood in the 2019 European Parliament election in 25th place on the Greens list, but was not elected.{{cite web|url=https://www.gruene.de/ueber-uns/2018/ska-keller-und-sven-giegold-sind-das-gruene-spitzenduo-fuer-die-europawahl-2019.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015727/https://www.gruene.de/ueber-uns/2018/ska-keller-und-sven-giegold-sind-das-gruene-spitzenduo-fuer-die-europawahl-2019.html|title=Ska Keller and Sven Giegold are the top green duo for the 2019 European elections|date=10 November 2018|archive-date=7 February 2019|lang=de|website=Alliance 90/The Greens}}

Lang successfully ran for the Bundestag in the 2021 German federal election in tenth place on the Baden-Württemberg list. She also stood in the Backnang – Schwäbisch Gmünd constituency and placed fifth with 11.5% of votes. She became the first bisexual member of the Bundestag.{{cite web|url=https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=40084|title=Ricarda Lang is the first openly bisexual member of the Bundestag|date=26 September 2021|lang=de|website=Queer.de}} In parliament, she is a member of the Committee for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth and a deputy member of the Committee for Labor and Social Affairs.

In the negotiations to form a coalition government between the SPD, Greens, and FDP following the 2021 federal elections, Lang led her party's delegation in the working group on equality; her co-chairs from the other parties were Petra Köpping (SPD) and Herbert Mertin (FDP).{{cite web|url=https://www.fr.de/politik/ampel-koalition-verhandlung-spd-gruene-fdp-arbeitsgruppen-scholz-lindner-baerbock-91069532.html|title=Traffic light coalition: All the negotiators, working groups and topics at a glance|date=22 October 2021|lang=de|website=Frankfurter Rundschau}}

On 29 January 2022, Lang was elected unopposed at chairwoman of the Greens, along with Omid Nouripour. They succeeded Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck, who stepped down after joining the Scholz cabinet.{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-green-party-elects-new-leaders-at-volatile-moment/a-60582495|title=German Green Party elects new leaders at volatile moment|date=29 January 2022|website=Deutsche Welle}}{{cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2022/01/29/ricarda-lang-and-omid-nouripour-elected-to-lead-german-greens|title=Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour elected to lead German Greens|date=29 January 2022|website=Euronews}} Following a series of election defeats on the state level, Lang and Nouripour announced their resignation in September 2024.Kate Connolly (25 September 2024), [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/25/leaders-germany-greens-party-resign-state-elections-ricarda-lang-omid-nouripour Leaders of Germany’s Greens resign after state election defeats] The Guardian.

In early 2022, Lang became one of the six subjects of an embezzlement investigation launched by the Berlin public prosecutor’s office into the entire leadership board of the Green Party over the payment of so-called ‘corona bonuses,’ which had been paid in 2020 to all employees of the party’s federal office and at the same time to its board.Hans von der Burchard (19 January 2022), [https://www.politico.eu/article/senior-german-green-politicians-targeted-by-embezzlement-probe/ Senior German Green politicians under investigation over ‘corona bonuses’] Politico Europe.

Lang is considered a representative of the left wing of the party. Her main areas of concerns are social justice and climate policy. She also supports feminism, body positivity, and queer politics.{{cite web|url=https://www.waz.de/politik/ricarda-lang-gruene-parteichefin-baerbock-habeck-id234085151.html|title=Ricarda Lang: This is what the new Greens leader wants to achieve|date=29 January 2022|lang=de|website=Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung}}{{cite web|url=https://bnn.de/nachrichten/baden-wuerttemberg/gruenen-vize-ricarda-lang-moechte-als-vorsitzende-neue-akzente-setzen|title=Greens deputy Ricarda Lang would like to set new emphasis as chairwoman|date=11 January 2022|lang=de|website=Badische Neueste Nachrichten}}{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/gesundheit/psychologie/article175188239/Body-Shaming-Dicke-sind-nicht-fuer-jeden-Abnehm-Tipp-dankbar.html|title=Why fat people aren't grateful for every weight loss tip|date=18 December 2020|lang=de|website=Die Welt|last1=Naue |first1=Julia }} She is critical of individualist approaches to policy; for example, to tackle climate change, she opposes focusing on individual consumption and advocates phasing out coal and ending subsidies to environmentally damaging industries. She calls the individualisation of these issues a "ploy to divert attention from the culpability of corporations and political responsibility."{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/ricarda-lang-kandidiert-fuer-die-gruenen-die-befreiung-a-be5fdc8d-9d0d-46c0-8f31-825a3f72b07a|title=The liberation of Ricarda Lang|date=11 September 2012|lang=de|website=Der Spiegel}}

Lang's political goals include an increase in Hartz IV payments, better pay for caregivers, limits on precariat employment, and more support for people living in rural areas.{{cite web|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/gruene-vorsitzende-lang-nouripour-1.5517911|title=Where the new Greens want to go|date=29 January 2022|lang=de|website=Süddeutsche Zeitung}} She supports the admission of climate refugees;{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/gruene-jugend-auch-klimafluechtlinge-brauchen-ein-recht-auf-asyl-a-00000000-0003-0001-0000-000002700069|title=Why the Green Youth demands that climate refugees should have a right to asylum|date=3 August 2018|lang=de|website=Der Spiegel}} in particular, she proposes offering EU citizenship to residents of Pacific island nations whose territory is severely threatened by rising sea levels.{{cite web|url=https://www.jetzt.de/politik/ricarda-lang-%C3%BCber-den-shitstorm-nach-ihrem-klimapass-vorschlag|title="Those were targeted, organized attacks"|date=7 August 2018|lang=de|website=Jetzt.de}}

Lang supports arms deliveries to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian incursion, calling in the fall of 2022 "that we need to deliver more weapons, that we need to speed up."{{Cite web |title=ZEIT ONLINE {{!}} Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl. |url=https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2Fpolitik%2Fdeutschland%2F2022-10%2Fricarda-lang-gruene-bundesparteitag-waffen-lieferungen%3Futm_referrer%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2F |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.zeit.de}}

Lang has lived in Berlin since 2014. She is bisexual, and became the first openly bisexual Bundestag member upon her election in 2021.

On 25 March 2023, she announced her engagement with the mathematician Florian Wilsch working at Leibniz University Hannover.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rnd.de/panorama/ricarda-lang-gruene-und-florian-wilsch-haben-sich-verlobt-5WUWQTWXCZFVTNO5O6HNY5GEHU.html | title =Grünen-Chefin Ricarda Lang hat sich verlobt | website = rnd.de | date = March 26, 2023 | access-date = April 25, 2023 | language=de}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.focus.de/politik/mit-uni-mathematiker-gruenen-vorsitzende-ricarda-lang-gibt-auf-twitter-verlobung-bekannt_id_189317021.html |title=Mit Uni-Mathematiker: Grünen-Vorsitzende Ricarda Lang gibt auf Twitter Verlobung bekannt |website=focus.de |date=March 25, 2023 |access-date=March 25, 2023 |language=de}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite web|url=https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/L/lang_ricarda-860132|title=Ricarda Lang|access-date=6 February 2022|lang=de|website=Bundestag}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.gruene.de/leute/ricarda-lang/|title=Ricarda Lang|access-date=6 February 2022|lang=de|website=Alliance 90/The Greens}}

{{Wikicommons}}{{Authority control}}{{Members of the 21st Bundestag}}{{Members of the 20th Bundestag}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Ricarda}}

Category:Living people

Category:1994 births

Category:Bisexual women politicians

Category:German bisexual women

Category:German bisexual politicians

Category:Female members of the Bundestag

Category:21st-century German women politicians

Category:Members of the Bundestag 2021–2025

Category:Members of the Bundestag for Alliance 90/The Greens

Category:Leaders of political parties in Germany

Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni

Category:LGBTQ members of the Bundestag

Category:Members of the Bundestag 2025–2029