Germany fully repealed section 175 of the German Criminal Code and legalized homosexual activity in 1994.

A bill for marriage equality passed the Bundestag on 30 June 2017 and the Bundesrat on 7 July, becoming law on 1 October.
Paragraph 1353 of the German Civil Code.

Article 5 of the German Basic Law guarantees freedom of press, speech and opinion.

Following the amendment of the Act on the Amendment of Names and Sex Determination in Special Cases, known as the Law on Transsexuality (1981) by Judgment No. 1 BvR 3295/07 (2011) of the Federal Constitutional Court, the criteria for changing the name or both the name and the gender marker were unified. Currently, the law requires applicants to (i) prove that "due to their transsexual status, they do not feel comfortable with their sex registered at birth", (ii) they have lived for at least three years "in accordance with the gender they identify with" and (iii) that their "situation of transexuality is foreseeably stable". This procedure is carried out before a municipal judge, which has to verify that these requirements are met by subjecting the applicant to an examination carried out by two expert witnesses "specialised in transsexualism". (ILGA)

In 2017, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSJ) commissioned the Humboldt University in Berlin to prepare an expert opinion on the "need for regulation and reform for transgender people".
It found that the current assessment procedure is in many cases characterized by disproportionate time and expense as well as degrading and discriminatory experiences and violates the fundamental rights of the applicants.

The non-governmental organization Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transidentität und Intersexualität e.V. (dgti) issues a supplemental ID card which contains one's self-chosen first names, pronouns and gender before a legal name change has taken place. It is known and accepted by German ministries, the police, and many authorities. The supplemental ID card is often a condition to correct one's name at, among others, schools, universities, banks and insurance companies. In five German states, references to the ID have been included in coronavirus ordinances and associated explanations to recognize it as an identification document, e.g., together with vaccination certificates.
It has a special status of recognition in Germany. The legal basis of the supplemental ID card is the implementation of the request of the European Parliament, communicated in the 11th legislative period of the German parliament.

When the Self-Identification law was introduced, people who went through this old process could apply for a monetary compensation.

The cost for gender affirming care in Germany is covered by public health insurance.

Condition for hormone therapy is a letter of indication from a psychotherapist,
voice therapy a letter of indication from a medical professional,
epilation of hair (laser/needle) 6 months of psychotherapy of 12/24 sessions with 50/25 minutes each (10 hours in total),
mastectomy 10 hours of psychotherapy,
genital surgeries 10 hours of psychotherapy and one year of “daily life test”,
breast augmentation 10 hours of psychotherapy, 2 years of hormone therapy, and a breast size of smaller than an A cup,
facial and vocal feminization, tracheal shave and rib section are approved in an appraisal process with the medical service if “the appearance is not yet sufficiently adjusted” after one year.

The Civil Status Act (PStG) was amended to include Parapraph 45b to allow intersex people to identify themselves as "diverse" ("divers") or remove the gender entry.

National law was amended in 2006 when the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed - giving all people the same rights under law.

The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany clarified in 1 BvR 2019/16 that the general right of personality (Article 2 (1) in conjunction with Article 1 (1) of the Basic Law) protects gender identity. It also protects the gender identity of non-binary people.
Article 3 (3) of the Basic Law includes non-binary people on the protection against discrimination on ground of their gender.

Due to Germany being a Federal Republic many states have had anti-discrimination laws as early as 1992. But by signing the Treaty of Amsterdam (EU) Germany amended its national anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation.

Section 1 of the General Act on Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG) prohibits discrimination on housing.

Section 1741 of the German Civil Code grants all married couples the right to adopt children.

German law prohibits intersex surgery on infants. However, intersex rights campaigners have criticised the law for having too many loopholes caused by ambiguous wording and for not defining any penalties for those who perform unauthorised surgery.

Article 3 (1) of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany and Article 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms protect against unequal treatment on grounds of sexual orientation.

On April 1 2023, the Transfusion Act (Transfusionsgesetz, TFG) was amended to fully remove restrictions on blood donations by MSMs.
Accordingly, the amendment to the law obliged the German Medical Association to subsequently adapt the blood donation guidelines within four months in agreement with the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Germany’s medical regulatory body.

The Law for the Protection Against Conversion Treatments (KonvBehSchG) bans providing, arranging and advertising conversion therapy. Conducting conversion therapy on minors, or persons of legal age is those whose consent was obtained without their volition, is also explicitly banned.

Providing, arranging or advertising conversion therapy is punishable by a fine up to €30,000.
Carrying out conversion therapy on a minor, or an adult whose consent was obtained without their volition, is punishable by up to a year of imprisonment or a fine.

The age of consent of 14 years is equal for everyone.