Germany’s far-right AfD party is led by a lesbian called Alice Weidel

In the German federal elections held in February 2025, the far-right organization Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a record number of votes and became the country’s second largest party.

This is the first time since World War II that a far-right party has finished in second place in Germany’s national elections.

The AfD’s election campaign was dominated by debate on immigration, violent crime and rising energy prices, with the party focusing on what it called “traditional family values”.

It was founded as a political party in 2013 after the 2008 financial crisis. It was “focused on economic issues and questions of Germany’s fiscal sovereignty,” but quickly shifted its focus to immigration in 2015, when Germany accepted more than 1 million asylum seekers.

Support for the AfD has continued to grow over the past 12 years and is now led by an unlikely figure. It’s a lesbian woman raising two sons with her girlfriend.

The AfD recently made headlines after Weidel’s co-leader, Tino Churupala, called on the United States to withdraw its troops from Germany. “Let’s start putting into practice what is written in the party’s manifesto by withdrawing American troops from Germany,” Tjulpala said at a party conference in Saxony on March 30, according to the newspaper. brussels signal.

He argued that distancing Germany from the United States while at war with the United States and Israel would help improve relations with Iran.

But what about his unlikely LGBTQ+ co-leader? Here’s everything you need to know about Alice Weidel.

When did Alice Weidel join AfD?

Mr Weidel, who joined the party in October 2013, said he was first drawn to the party because of his previous opposition to the euro.

Since then, her profile within the party has increased. He was elected to the Federal Executive Committee of the AfD in 2015 and has been leading the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag since 2017.

Weidel was elected co-chair of the party along with Tino Churupala in 2022, making her the first lesbian to lead the party.

Alice Weidel’s grandfather was Hans Weidel, a prominent Nazi judge appointed directly by Adolf Hitler. Hans Weidel was responsible for passing judgment on opponents of the Third Reich.

Who is Alice Weidel’s girlfriend Sarah Bossard?

Alice Weidel has been dating her partner Sarah Bossard since 2009.

Bossard is a Sri Lankan-born film producer who was adopted by a Swiss couple. Bossard’s work often “explores themes that may not resonate with the conservative views espoused by the AfD.” According to Munich Eye.

Weidel and Bossard have two children, both boys, whom they adopted. Despite raising her sons in a lesbian relationship, Ms. Weidell has long praised the importance of children being raised as part of a traditional nuclear family unit, consisting of a father and mother.

She stated that legalizing same-sex marriage was not important and that the couple were not married despite being together for 17 years.

Mr Weidell also defended his role within the AfD, saying his sexuality does not conflict with the party’s traditional values.

Where do Alice Weidel and her girlfriend live?

Mr. Weidel and Mr. Bossard live with their children in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. Alice Weidel splits her time between Berlin, where she works, and Switzerland, and her official residence is in the German constituency of Überlingen.

Weidel was born in Gütersloh, a town halfway between Dortmund and Hannover, and later studied in Bayreuth.

Before turning to politics, she also worked at Goldman Sachs and Bank of China, and lived in China for six years.

What kind of controversy has Alice Weidel been involved in?

Weidel is She was often outspoken about her opinions.. Although she originally joined the party for its economic policies, she has supported and defended the party’s move towards the far right and its focus on immigration and German nationalism.

She has previously said that migrants are made up of “girls in burqas, headscarves, knife-wielding men on government benefits and other good-for-nothing people”, which has drawn criticism from Germany’s political opponents but is respected by other right-wingers.

Weidel also called for “a large-scale repatriation of foreigners” and claimed that Germany was the real victim of the Ukraine war.

She has previously questioned the value of coronavirus vaccines and questioned climate change, saying: “Great Alternative” Theoryfalsely claims that white people are being “replaced” by immigrants.

In a recent conversation with Elon Musk, Weidel claimed the Nazis were “not right wing” and said Hitler was “a communist and a socialist.” This is clearly not true, as communists and socialists were regularly persecuted under the Nazi regime.

Just last week, Weidel sparked a new wave of controversy In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, she claimed that Germany’s Holocaust commemoration culture was a “guilt cult.”

She also described her party’s repeated links to Holocaust memory as “troubling”, doubling down on her party’s discomfort with confronting the country’s Nazi past.