 thumb|volker beck (2010)  volker beck (born 12 december 1960 in stuttgart) is a german politician. he is a sitting member of parliament for the green party in the bundestag since 1994. beck served as the green party speaker for legal affairs from 1994â2002, and as the green party chief whip in the bundestag till 2013. he is spokesman of the green parliamentary group for interior affairs and religion. in 2014 he was elected as president of the german-israeli parliamentary friendship group of the german bundestag. he represents cologne beck is openly gay and served as spokesman of the association of lesbians and gays in germany (lesben- und schwulenverband in deutschland) lsvd for over ten years. he is a supporter of same-sex marriage and has been referred to as the "father of the german registered partnership act". he lived in a long-term partnership with jacques teyssier until his death from cancer in berlin on july 25, 2009. the couple had officially registered their partnership in 2008, after 16 years. between 2001 and 2004 he was chief negotiator for his party on the new immigration law coming into to force 2005. he is publicly known for being a very tough negotiator. in 2003, the german bundestag decided on his initiative that the federal republic of germany will erect a national memorial in the centre of berlin for homosexuals persecuted by the nazi party. in 2006, he sponsored an anti-discrimination act in civil law and at the workplace, outlawing discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, sex, sexual identity, religion, age, and disability. on 27 may 2006, beck was attacked and injured during a gay rights demonstration in moscow, called moscow pride. his attack as well as his participation at the moscow pride festival is featured in the documentary moscow pride '06. on may 2007 he was arrested and put in a bus in front
1960_births Alliance_\'90/The_Greens_politicians Gay_politicians German_atheists LGBT_politicians_from_Germany LGBT_rights_activists_from_Germany Living_people Members_of_the_Bundestag People_from_Cologne People_from_Stuttgart Victims_of_anti-LGBT_hate_crimes