A reading session entitled “Diversity: Let’s Discover Stories Together!” was organised for children aged 3 to 6 in Berlin. The event divided public opinion, with many parents outraged by what they saw as sensitisation event targeting young children.

One of the stories read to the children came from the book called Two Dads for Tango (Zwei Papas für Tango), which tells the story of how two male penguins hatch and raise a chick together.

Another book read aloud was Glitter for Everyone! (Glitzer für alle!), which challenges traditional gender roles and aims to show children that glitter, colours, and toys belong to everyone – regardless of whether they are boys or girls.

The description of Two Dads for Tango reads:

“Roy and Silo are different from the other penguins in the zoo. They ignore the girl penguins and only want to be together. They even build a nest together. A nest for a little penguin baby.”

In Glitter for Everyone! the following lines appear:

“Paul finds a glittering crown in nursery. But his friend Tarek says only girls play with glittery things. What happens if a boy tries anyway? Will there be an explosion? Or will he turn into a glittering star? Paul and Tarek are brave and try it, even when the others laugh. And Tilly is brave too: she defends Paul and Tarek! Because, of course, girls are brave and strong too!”

The event was aimed at preschool kids aged between 3 and 6. It formed part of “Queer Action Week”, which addressed issues of family and gender identity, and the invitation stated that children were welcome to attend the open reading session.

The organisers explicitly named rainbow families, patchwork and chosen families, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals, as their target audience. The traditional family model was notably absent from the promotional material.

Die Veranstaltung richtet sich an Vorschulkinder im Alter von 3 bis 6 Jahren. Im Rahmen der „Queeren Aktionswoche“ werden Themen zu Familie, Geschlecht und Identität aufgegriffen. https://t.co/lhyBNuLY5R pic.twitter.com/EVZJ7creRk

— NIUS (@niusde_) September 24, 2025

According to the website of the venue hosting the event: „Queer Action Week” is supported by the district fund ‘Queer Life in the Districts’ of the Senate Department for Labour, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination (SenASGIVA), in cooperation with Queeres Berlin and the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office.” According to Berlin’s city website, this fund received up to 600,000 euros in taxpayers’ money in 2024, as highlighted by the nius.de portal.

The organiser, the Spree-Wuhle Association (AWO), also receives substantial state funding, with part of its budget coming from tax revenues. The Berlin Senate confirmed that in 2025 alone, the association received 417,319.24 euros for its work with the elderly and young people. Given that both the organiser and the “Action Week” are state-subsidised, it is reasonable to assume that the queer „reading circle” was also state-funded.