Kein Stern zu viel

In this German spoken‑word performance, two voices (Speaker A and Speaker B) argue against the removal of the gender‑inclusive asterisk (the “Sternchen”) from written language. Speaker A frames the asterisk as a small sign of respect that reveals hidden power structures: the education office (Bildungsamt) allegedly “cancels” language to keep a limited worldview, equating gender‑neutral forms with danger to equality. The speaker recalls a past where masculine forms were assumed to include everyone, yet felt excluded, and now refuses to be silenced. Speaker B reinforces that language is power, that silence benefits the invisible, and that the asterisk, though tiny, carries significant meaning. Both critique calls for “clarity” and “order” as veiled attempts to suppress diversity, describing the removal of the asterisk as a loss of respect and a symptom of systemic fear of difference. The piece uses vivid metaphors (e.g., “Schwarz, Blau, Braun in schönem Design”) to illustrate how the debate is packaged as a clean problem while underlying biases persist.










