Erfurt/Weimar/Berlin (dpa/th) - Claudia Dathe from Jena and Kathrin Schuchardt from Weimar each received a Cross of Merit on the Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany. A total of eleven women and nine men from all over Germany were awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic on the Day of German Unity. Those selected would make an outstanding contribution to building "bridges between countries, between people," said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday at Bellevue Palace in Berlin. "They are all the best proof that people can change something together, that we can help shape the world of tomorrow to make it a better, more just place." This is particularly important at a time marked by the corona pandemic, the war of aggression against Ukraine and climate change.
As "one of the best-known translators of contemporary Ukrainian literature into German - and also one of the first to translate literature from the Ukrainian", Jena-born Dathe is building a bridge to understanding the country. The former street worker and social worker Schuchardt from Weimar is one of the "best-known activists for a cosmopolitan, colorful Weimar". Here, the co-founder of the "Association for Diversity in Sport and Society" also supports the queer community on a voluntary basis. Non-heterosexual people or people who do not identify with the traditional role model of men and women or other social norms relating to gender and sexuality describe themselves as queer.
The Order of Merit is awarded in eight levels. The medal of merit or the cross of merit on a ribbon are generally considered the first award. With his awards, the Federal President wants to draw public attention to outstanding achievements. In the future, more women will be honored and young people will be taken into account. Anyone can encourage the award of the Order of Merit to another. In addition to the two women from Thuringia, the footballer Neven Subotić and the astronaut Matthias Maurer were also awarded an Order of Merit on Friday.
