In 2021, Tessa Ganserer etched her name in history alongside another transgender woman, as they both secured seats in the Bundestag, Germany's federal Parliament. Representing The Greens party, Ganserer ardently supports environmental initiatives and is a staunch advocate for LGBTQ rights.
Born in Zwiesel, Bavaria, Ganserer was initially assigned male at birth. She pursued studies in engineering and forestry at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science in Freising, Germany, graduating in 2005. It wasn't until she turned 41 that Ganserer publicly embraced her true identity as a woman.
At the age of 21, Ganserer became a member of Germany’s Alliance 90/The Greens political party. From 2002 to 2005, she assumed the role of spokesperson for the specialist forum on ecology at the Federal Association of Green Youth.
Ganserer served as a district executive in the administrative region of Middle Franconia from 2008 to 2018. In 2013, she secured a seat in the Lantag of Bavaria (Bavarian state Parliament). Here, she contributed to various committees, including transportation, energy, and technology, and held the position of vice chair for public service from 2013 to 2018.
In 2018, Ganserer took a monumental step by publicly disclosing her identity as a trans woman, becoming the first openly transgender member of a German Landtag. Despite facing online hostility, she found strength in the overwhelming support she received. Within the Landtag, Ganserer championed efforts to streamline legal name and gender changes.
When Ganserer pursued a seat in the Bundestag, her focus was on overhauling Germany’s restrictive 1981 Transgender Act at the federal level. She articulated that her candidacy aimed to empower transgender individuals to advocate for change in the very arena that legislates on this matter. Elected in 2012, Ganserer and her fellow Greens candidate, Nyke Slawik, made history as the first two transgender members of the German federal Parliament.
In the Bundestag, Ganserer tirelessly advocates for soil conservation, carbon emission reduction, and forest preservation. She vigorously champions access to inclusive healthcare for LGBTQ individuals, advocates for the right of lesbian mothers to adopt, and works towards overturning the ban on blood donations from gay men.
Ganserer, who is married to fellow Greens party politician Ines Eichmüller, is also a proud mother of two sons.
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