The Germans are tying themselves up in knots

What do Icelanders (and others?) do with their surnames - does Bob Erikson become Bobbette 'Eriskdottir'?

I saw the ZDF use "Gästinnen and Gäste", which makes all cringe (acute case of Fremdschämen). Gäste is already neutral.

They're choosing not to learn from what has happened in the United States, Canada, etc. It's very depressing.

I heard one of those pro/con pieces on the radio and one reporter was very much "Be Kind, Be Inclusive", whereas the other stated that if people could not take the time to use Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter (employees), it would be detrimental and show a certain lack of respect.
I just find it very weird when I hear it, maybe I'm not used to it.

Funny thing: Earlier this year I looked up a few things to do in Munich and came across "Sitzplätze innen*". Briefly wondered why Sitzplätze (seats) are now gendered before realising that they were referring to seats inside the restaurant as opposed to those outside.
German is my native language, so I don't what to know how a non-native speaker handles all that "inclusive language".

*innen means inside

According to my Finnish boss some people are now making up pronouns. He finds it hilarious.

he also sent me a very earnest article written by a young NB where they talk how oppressive and non-validating Finnish is.

Oh God, but there is quite the backlash on this though, which is understandable. On TV, presenters have started used a pause. Mitarbeiter:innen, where the colon symbol is. It is absolutely horrendous to listen to but everyone just follows along because being "inclusive" is expected.

DS3 actually has a DSD condition but he is male. It is a condition that only affects males.

I don't know any more than that, sorry. I just knew about the birth certificate because I remember it coming into law and it was an option on the form when we registered the children's births here. The hospital sends the information to the registry office, so presumably you can't just choose 3rd gender if you feel like it!

Luckily in France a judge ruled that children need to get a proper understanding of their grammar so it has to be taught traditionally as altering anything stands to add unnecessary confusion.

Thank god.

Children over here are being taught gender nonsense at an age when they believe anything adults tell them. Made-up pronouns are just the tip of the iceberg. I've no idea how they're going to disentangle reality from what they've been told at school, as they grow up. It really is a betrayal by the adults we trust to educate them.

Thanks that is helpful. With improved testing, presumably this record could then be updated once the specific DSD condition (and therefore biological sex) was known? Or would the parents of a child with Eg CAIS have the option of recording the child as female on the basis they won’t develop masculine traits?

Sorry this is so old but I came across it and can answer the third sex question. In German law it is possible to register a baby as third sex/neutral on their birth certificate if they have a DSD condition meaning that their sex is ambiguous. This means that in Germany, sex is no longer assigned to those with DSD conditions. If the sex is observable, it will be recorded. If it is not, then there is an option for it to be recorded as such rather than just "pick one".

It is not the same as non binary/queer etc.

I had a message deleted and I have no idea what I said wrong! All I did was mention an English-speaking German friend whom I last saw in 2018 or 2019 and she had no idea what was going on, so I had to inform her by sending links etc. That was basically it.
What in that goes against the guidelines? I'm pretty sure I did not use a forbidden word.

Oh, it's been a lot more visible and vocal in the last few years, I'd say.

About two months ago, "Sendung mit der Maus"* did a follow up with a homeless man they had filmed a few years earlier when he was just about to move into a flat after many years on the streets. However, now he was a "she". A lot of "born in the wrong body" and "sex change" in that segment and not really, imho, suitable for their target audience.

To add to this, the Greens in the Bundestag have two transwomen amongst them. One of which is very vocal about "transphobia" and got upset that the ballot paper had male name, but never bothered to even file for "Personenstandsänderung" (maybe similar to GRC?).
The Greens also want to push through a self ID law, where people can go to the registrar's office and by act of speech can change their sex (I know, I know).
It would then be possible to change this again after a year. Mis-gendering would also be penalised under their proposed law change.
I have spoken to a few family members who were not aware of this at all.

The whole "gendering" in the use of language has made people more vocal as well. People who refuse to "gender" being called "Boomers" or perceived as right wing, old fashioned or as refusing to be inclusive. It's the German version of "just be kind".

*Sendung mit der Maus is a 30 minute TV programme for children 3+, they usually do an "explainer" clip like how is a fire extinguisher made or how do the stripes get into the tooth paste, it also has a little story like Charlie and Lola or similar, wrapping it up with either Shaun the Sheep or a story by a "bear" that used to be a sea farer and likes to spin sailor's yarn. In between the main segments they've got little clips of an organge mouse and a blue elephant.
It's been on TV for over 50 years and is usually quite educational. I watched it as a child and now watch it with my sister and her kids when I'm over there.

I always thought that Germany/Austria is far behind the UK in the trans debate and that was true when I last lived there, which was in 2017. They seem to have caught up damn quickly. My 12 year old Austrian granddaughter is now completely caught. It is heartbreaking.

I have seen M/W for as long as I can remember looking at job adverts (about 25 years), this was done so women would not feel excluded if job titles were generic masculine.
A few years ago I leafed through the news paper at my aunt's and stumbled across the "d". Asked her what it meant and she explained "divers" so people with the "third sex" (drittes Geschlecht) would not be excluded.
My eyes were rolling quite a bit.

What I find really irritating is saying "the studying" (Studierende) instead of the "the students" or "the working" (Arbeitende) "the workers" or similar.

The whole gendering completely by-passed me in my use of German, but I see it all the time, whether it's with the * or a capital I.

A reply to Madcats:
In German singular, you have the pronouns 'er' (masculine), 'sie' (feminine) and 'es' (neuter), corresponding to the English he/she/it.
In German plural, just as in the English language, gender is neutralized: there is only one pronoun. In English, this is 'they', in German, though, it is identical with the singular feminine pronoun, thus 'sie'.
To diffentiate the two, you have to look at the verb:
sie schläft - she sleeps.
sie schlafen - they sleep.
That means that if you used the plural pronoun in German, you'd always have an ambiguity between a feminine singular and a plural reading and therefore this is done in Germany. There have been attempts, as mentioned above, to invent new pronouns, such as 'xier', 'xie', 'nin', 'sier', 'sif', 'per' or 'dey'. Since these are considered (a) comical and completely stupid by the vast majority of Germans and (b) a undue intervention in the language they are not used (apart from the most dyed-in-the-wool proponents of whats called here 'gender appropriate language'). Their use is also hindered by the fact that you have a rather complex inflexional system in German which makes the integration of new words difficult. For more info, see Genderneutrale Pronomina.
Since the gendered language debate in Germany, though, is centered around what the authors above have discussed, i.e. how to neutralize nouns (or, to be more explicit, how to overcome the generic masculine that we have in German), this topic has not had the same impact as in English speaking countries.
I hope this helps (and you can impress your daughter).

So far, the most common suggestion by people considering themselves non-binary is for others to keep repeating their name instead of using 3rd person pronouns at all. Neuter is never considered acceptable as it's commonly applied to animals or inanimate objects. Neo-pronouns are only just beginning to creep in.

Dutch has - technically - masculine and neuter! It's not really discussed in terms of gender though. The thing is, in "gendered" languages, the naming of the categories as "male" and "female" has virtually (and some times absolutely) nothing to do with male and female as biological categories. They could be called "hot" and "cold" words or designated by numbers or a letter. So this whole discussion is beyond ridiculous in these countries.

Luckily in France a judge ruled that children need to get a proper understanding of their grammar so it has to be taught traditionally as altering anything stands to add unnecessary confusion.

Danish has common and neuter. Animate and inanimate makes more sense.

it's always surprised me that they even specify sex at all

oh don't get me started... i am constantly complaining about the ads on trains, especially at this time of year when they're trying to attract apprentices. Train driver - m/w/d - all the pictures are of men. Onboard bistro - m/w/d - all the pictures are of smiling women. Backroom staff - m/w/d - you have to be like a magic fairy (Bürofee) - i actually wrote to them about that one.

Wouldn't it be easier if we all spoke Basque? It has 2 genders - animate and inanimate? Or Finnish which has no genders?

In France almost all job ads have "H/F" written after the title, indicating that the job is for either a man or a woman.

I'd love to see this practice disappear actually, because it shouldn't need stating. I wonder whether some angry non binary person will be the one to kick up a fuss.

Most job adverts I see here seem to say M/W/D which is männlich (make) weibliche (female) and divers - it's always surprised me that they even specify sex at all